Madrid (AFP) – The Copa Libertadores final second leg between Argentine arch rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate will be played at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium on December 9, a source close to the Spanish club told AFP on Thursday.
Originally scheduled for last weekend at River’s Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, it was postponed after some Boca players were injured when their team bus came under attack from fans of the home side throwing projectiles.
It means that both the Copa Libertadores and Champions League finals will be played in Madrid within six months of each other.
The final of Europe’s premier club competition will be played at the home of Real’s own city rivals Atletico Madrid, the Wanda Metropolitano, on June 1.
Buenos Aires rivals Boca and River drew their first leg in early November at the iconic Bombonera arena 2-2.
Ever since South American football’s governing body Conmebol announced on Tuesday the second leg match would be played “outside Argentina” the rumour mill had been set in motion with a host of potential venues suggested.
Those ranged from Genoa in Italy to Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, and even Qatar’s capital Doha.
But Madrid has won out, with Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tweeting that the country “is ready to organise the final.”
He said Spain has “ample experience in such events and is already working on the necessary deployment to guarantee the security of the event.”
Conmebol is expected to confirm the decision despite Boca having petitioned the governing body’s disciplinary commission to be awarded the trophy and have River expelled over last weekend’s violence, in which some players suffered cuts from broken glass and the effects of smoke inhalation.
