Copa Libertadores final to go ahead as planned despite riots in Santiago, says CONMEBOL

Asuncion: The Copa Libertadores final will go ahead in Santiago as planned next month, CONMEBOL said on Friday, despite the riots which have hit the Chilean capital in the last few days.

“We reaffirm our commitment to celebrate the one-match final of the Copa Libertadores at the National Stadium in Santiago on Nov. 23,” said the South American governing body on Twitter.

Representative image. Reuters

CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez told Radio Monumental in Paraguay, where the governing body is based, that Santiago remained the venue for the match between Brazilian side Flamengo and Argentina’s River Plate.

“They will recover from what they are going through at the moment,” he said, referring to the violent protests which have rocked the city for days.

CONMEBOL’s website also gave details of how to buy tickets and said that 12,500 would be allocated to fans of each of the finalists.

Riots that started over a hike in public transport costs prompted days of arson attacks and looting that led to the arrest of more than 6,000 people and at least 16 dead in one of the region’s traditionally most stable and wealthy nations.

This year marks the first time that the Copa Libertadores final will be played in a single match. The fixture has been traditionally played over two legs, on a home-and-away basis.

The second leg of last year’s final between Argentina pair River Plate and Boca Juniors was called off after Boca’s team bus was attacked with stones and bottles as it approached River Plate’s stadium. The match was subsequently played in Madrid.