Copa Libertadores final 2nd leg to be held outside Argentina
The second leg of the Copa Libertadores final between Buenos Aires rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors will be played outside Argentina, CONMEBOL confirmed Tuesday.
After a 2-2 draw in the first leg on Nov. 11, the return fixture of the Superclasico at River's El Monumental stadium was postponed numerous times after River fans attacked the Boca players' bus. The game was pushed back a day, then ultimately called off.
The second half of the final tie will be played on either Dec. 8 or Dec. 9, but it won't even take place in Argentina, CONMEBOL announced, as translated by Argentinian football journalist Peter Coates.
Nota entregada por el Presidente de la CONMEBOL a los presidentes de los clubes River Plate y Boca Juniors en la reunión del martes 27 en la sede la de CONMEBOL, en Paraguay. pic.twitter.com/qNBYTRZXx6
— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) November 27, 2018
The venue will be announced shortly. Touted potential host cities include Miami, the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, and United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi. It is unclear whether fans of both teams will be allowed to attend regardless of where the game is played.
Meanwhile, Boca staff members are still pressing for their team to be handed a walkover victory after the attack on the team bus, which resulted in players being hospitalized.
Document signed by Boca president demanding walkover pic.twitter.com/8x0hDww7Cv
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) November 27, 2018