From Brazil, a rumor was born that Conmebol is analyzing the possibility of changing the venue of the American final, depending on which teams are the protagonists.
Unexpectedly and due to side effects, Independent could have contact with the Copa Libertadores. And it is not about some aspect for 2025, but rather related to the current edition. It is that the unexpected results obtained in the first legs of the semifinals, with the 3-0 win by Atlético Mineiro against River and the overwhelming 5-0 by Botafogo against Peñarol, would have taken on sufficient magnitude for Conmebol to think about a change of plans regarding the headquarters of the Monumental, giving way to a rumor that brings the name of the Liberators of America.
Unless heroic comebacks take center stage in both semi-final brackets, this year’s American final would once again be led by Brazilian teams, this time with Buenos Aires as the venue. On October 5, the governing body of South American football made it official that the Monumental Stadiumwith a capacity for 86 thousand spectators, would be the venue where the next November 30 the new champion would be consecrated. However, the chance of a last minute change seems to take shape.
If based on recent antecedents, Conmebol may find it logical that it is not a bad idea to reverse the Millonaria decision and end up leaning towards a venue with a smaller capacity. The thing is, if a final between Mineiro and Botafogo is confirmed, Conmebol considers the chance that the River stadium will be too big for both teams given the small amount of Brazilian public that could attend. Fear grows when considering the long distance that separates Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro from Buenos Aires.
In order not to fall into the same situation, The final of the Libertadores 2024 could be defined in Buenos Aires, but far from the Núñez neighborhood. Where to? According to reports from Brazil, the first options that Conmebol put on the table would be nothing less than Liberators of America – Ricardo Enrique Bochini and the Diego Armando Maradonafrom La Plata, which have approximately half the capacity of the Monumental.
A half-empty stadium in an international final would not be the first time it has happened: in 2022, when San Pablo and Independiente del Valle defined the Copa Sudamericana at the Mario de Alberto Kempes in Córdoba, many empty spaces were noticed in both sides. A situation that the organization would like not to repeat.
The LDA-REB would be in the orbit of Conmebol if the Monumental were deregistered.
Based on what is just a rumor for the moment, it is worth remembering that the Independiente stadium was viewed favorably by Conmebol for several months, when it was analyzing whether the decisive duel would be hosted in a stadium with a capacity smaller than that of the stadium. Monumental.
The chance even prospered: when the River stadium had not yet been confirmed as the venue, inspectors from the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the South American entity carried out a technical inspection.to evaluate the possibility of our stadium becoming the venue for the final of the Copa Libertadores 2024″as reported by the club itself, at the end of last May.
A factor that may increase the chances that the LDA-REB option will be considered again is based on resorting to the most recent file: for the final of the 2023 Copa Sudamericana, the Centenario Stadium had been selected as the venue. However, as the days went by, the duel between Liga de Quito and Fortaleza ended up being moved to Maldonado.
Meanwhile, this Thursday, October 24, Conmebol announced that it began selling tickets for the defining duel. Until now, the venue is the Monumental Stadium. However, the Libertadores de América will closely follow the outcome of the situation.
