Buenos Aires (AFP) – The fierce Buenos Aires derby between River Plate and Boca Juniors is back on Sunday after Argentine referees scrapped a plan to strike over demands for protection from violence.
The referees union (SADRA) had called the strike after a referee was attacked by players and supporters following a pitch invasion during a lower-division match last Sunday.
But on Wednesday SADRA representative Guillermo Marconi said they had suspended the strike after football chiefs agreed to talks.
“We have been successful because the Argentine Football Association is willing to discuss the entire protocol for referees’ safety,” he told reporters.
“There is no way the labor ministry can avoid the negotiation process.”
The Buenos Aires “superclasico” and all other matches in the federation’s five leagues had risked being cancelled this weekend.
Six football fans have died this year in match-related violence, according to the non-government group Salvemos el Futbol.
