Argentina humiliated by 'Copa Conquistadores'
The first ever Copa Libertadores final between Argentina's two most popular clubs was supposed to be the "match of the century" and a football festival that would propel the country back into the spotlight following yet another World Cup debacle.
Well, Argentina is back in the spotlight but for all the wrong reasons and the decision to play the twice-postponed "superclasico" final second leg between Buenos Aires arch rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors in the homeland of Latin America's colonizers, is a painful humiliation.
All over social media, the prestigious competition -- the most important club tournament in South America -- has been rechristened the "Copa Conquistadores de America."
"It's as if we weren't allowed to dance the tango. We're destroying football," lamented Gustavo Alfaro, the coach of Argentine team Huracan.
"We don't want hooligans or complicit authorities. They've no right to take River-Boca away from us."
For the first time ever, a Copa Libertaodres final will be played outside the continent, with Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium picked as the unlikely venue.
CONMEBOL decided Argentina was in no state to host the match and ordered it played elsewhere, with Real president Florentino Perez jumping on the opportunity and offering use of the Bernabeu for free.
"Why did they accept so easily that this match wouldn't be played in Argentina?" asked analyst Alejandro Wall on the Tiempo Argentina website. "What they're doing is stealing from Argentine football. And those who are punished are the 60,000 people who waited" in the Monumental stadium, not once but twice for hours on end hoping to watch the historic match, but to no avail.
For sports newspaper Ole, "River lost, Boca lost, the country lost the possibility of having a party and we lost the fans: they took away the dream, the desire and enthusiasm."
Argentine great Diego Maradona, who won the league with Boca in 1981, was enraged. "If the family of a fan wants to see the match, how does it pay to go to Madrid?" he said.
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