River Plate president Rodolfo D’Onofrio has said the decision to play Sunday’s Copa Libertadores final return leg against Boca Juniors in Madrid will be remembered as a “tremendous disgrace for Argentinian football.”
South American football’s governing body CONMEBOL moved the game from River’s Monumental Stadium to the Bernabeu for security reasons after it was postponed due to crowd trouble last month.
Asked how the situation would be remembered, D’Onofrio told El Pais: “As a disgrace. As a tremendous disgrace for Argentinian football.
“We lost being hosts and that is a huge disadvantage. It’s unjust that more than 60,000 people have lost the opportunity to see the game at the Monumental Stadium.”
D’Onofrio said CONMEBOL’s decision was harsh and his club had no responsibility for the violence that saw the Boca team bus attacked.
“The security system failed, totally and absolutely,” he said. “We had zero responsibility.
“River’s responsibility begins inside the Monumental stadium. When Boca leave their hotel, the responsibility is of the security services. The city and nation’s highest authorities already admitted that.
“It was 40 or 50 delinquents who have no place in football. River fans are not to blame whatsoever. They [the security services] should not have allowed Boca’s team bus to go through a place where people are capable of these types of acts.”
D’Onofrio called on fans to behave themselves at the match and said: “Football has to unite.”
Despite strong security measures being in place, Spanish police union federation spokesman Jose Maria Benito said he was concerned.
“There are going to be 5,000 officers but I foresee there could be incidents,” Benito told Cadena Ser.
“The security has been properly planned, but we are concerned about other people who are coming to watch the game but are not traveling with an organised group and hence cannot be controlled, not just from Argentina or Spain, but from Italy, Germany, France.”
Asked whether it was right to stage the game in Madrid, Benito said: “Ask me on Monday and I will be able to answer that.”
Boca president Daniel Angelici, who said it felt strange to play the Copa Libertadores away from South America, told Cadena Cope: “During the 90 minutes we will have to be rivals and go out to win but never appeal to violence.
“Football is union, passion, love for a jersey.”