Jonathan Wilson's Blog, page 119
November 25, 2018
Copa Libertadores: second leg of final called off again hours before kick-off
• Match was set for Saturday but postponed after bus attack
• Rescheduled game called off again on Sunday
It had been dubbed the final to end all finals, but nobody has any idea if or when it will ever start. The second leg of the Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Boca Juniors, initially scheduled for Saturday, had been rescheduled for 5pm on Sunday after an attack on the Boca team bus, but was cancelled at 2pm. There will now be a meeting in Asunción on Tuesday to decide where and when the final will be played.
Related: River fans attack on Boca bus halts Copa Libertadores final for 24 hours
Continue reading...
November 24, 2018
River fans attack on Boca bus halts Copa Libertadores final for 24 hours
• Coach pelted with missiles as players suffer effects of tear gas
The second leg of the Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Boca Juniors had to be postponed for 24 hours on Saturday as a result of an attack on the Boca team bus. River fans clashed with police outside the stadium as tear gas and rubber bullets were fired. But the violence is only part of the story.
There were desperate attempts to stage the game on its scheduled day, first with an hour’s delay, at 6pm local time, and then at 7.15, 7.30 and 7.45, before the abandonment was finally announced to deafening whistles from the 70,000 inside the ground at around 7.20. A large part of the fallout will concern who applied pressure to whom and what machinations occurred in the three and a quarter hours after the attack.
Related: Copa Libertadores final put back 24 hours after River fans attack Boca bus - as it happened
Continue reading...Copa Libertadores final put back 24 hours after River fans attack Boca bus - as it happened
The second leg of the Superclásico Buenos Aires derby was suspended after Boca Juniors players were injured as their bus travelled to River Plate’s Estadio Monumental
12.13am GMT
Related: River fans attack on Boca bus halts Copa Libertadores final for 24 hours
10.56pm GMT
We’ll be back on Sunday to bring you coverage of the actual football game. Well, hopefully. The evening is not done yet, judging by this incident.
River President stops for a chat. Fight breaks out and everybody scatters. pic.twitter.com/YXjMfPvmPL
10.52pm GMT
Reuters report confirms the suspension
BUENOS AIRES, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The second leg of the Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Boca Juniors was suspended on Saturday after Boca players were hurt when their bus was attacked outside the stadium by River fans, officials said.
“One can’t play in these conditions,” Alejandro Dominguez, President of the South American Football Confederation, (CONMEBOL) told reporters. The match was rescheduled for Sunday, kicking off at 5 pm local time (2000 GMT).
Several Boca players were injured either by glass from broken windows or from toxic gas after River fans pelted their coach with missiles as it approached the ground, local media reported.
10.49pm GMT
Same time again tomorrow? Don’t hold your breath.
70,000 begin the journey home. pic.twitter.com/IkkyZmSb3F
10.46pm GMT
Sadly, violence is now reported as taking place in and out of the stadium though the current suggestion is the game will be played in front of a crowd and not behind closed doors.
10.39pm GMT
Some talk that tomorrow’s game might be played behind closed doors, which seems sensible, but how to inform the River fans that they won’t be able to see the greatest show on Earth?
10.28pm GMT
That appears to be that. It’s the sensible decision, and one that should have been made hours ago, frankly. What caused sense to descend? Fighting outside the stadium might have hastened the decision.
News breaks game is off. pic.twitter.com/co52rH1D6H
10.25pm GMT
Reports suggest it will be played at 5pm on Sunday instead.
Match off.
10.19pm GMT
Confirmed: Pérez starts. Oh my.
Pablo Pérez starts, despite having been to hospital after suffering an eye injury in the bus attack.
10.17pm GMT
A couple of tidbits from the excellent Daniel Edwards.
“The driver of the Boca bus has spoken to press: ‘At the moment of the attacks I fainted and the vice-president of Boca took the wheel’.”
And this, which defies belief, but who knows at this point?
Now reports that Pablo Pérez might actually play!
10.09pm GMT
Outside the stadium, there is tension, with there being reports of rubber bullets being fired.
Máxima tensión entre hinchas y Prefectura en Libertador y Monroe: así se reagrupan pic.twitter.com/aCrenf8fd4
10.05pm GMT
One person missing here, aside from Vladimir Putin (and Sol Campbell), is Diego Maradona. It can’t be long until we get his word(s) on the matters.
10.01pm GMT
Legendary Paraguayan goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert, who won the Copa Libertadores in 1994 with Velez Sarsfield, has had his say. And he is not holding back.
This translates as: “An international embarrassment from ‘Corrup-bol,’ [FIFA president Gianni] Infantino and his financial director [Alejandro] Dominguez are prioritizing money over health of the Boca Juniors players. That’s how they kill soccer.”
Verguenza mundial de la Corrupbol, el jefe Infantino y su director financiero Dominguez,dan prioridad al dinero, por encima de la salud de los jugadores de Boca. Asi matan el futbol.
9.49pm GMT
Looks like a game is going to happen.
The referees are out warming up. And that’s a Boca logo waiting to be unfurled. I guess we’re going to have a game. #RiverBoca pic.twitter.com/WCPFfWAEMw
9.44pm GMT
The Late Joys tweets in: “Boca and River should play to a 2-2 draw (just walk the ball into the net four times) then walk off the pitch together. Anyway, play or don’t play -- wouldn’t want to be a policeman in Buenos Aires tonight.”
9.43pm GMT
The referees are now warming up. This has to be a sign the game goes ahead. Perhaps best to believe it when you see it.
9.41pm GMT
The conspiracy runs deep here. This will be talked of for decades.
Fernando Gago: “The presidents of Conmebol and Fifa are who want us to play.”
9.41pm GMT
9.35pm GMT
Pérez might be the key to the game being postponed.
Pablo Pérez is now being taken back to the Monumental. It seems CONMEBOL doctors did see him at the stadium but were unable to confirm his injury, hence his referral to hospital. Neither team want to play the game, but CONMEBOL are still insisting.
9.29pm GMT
Some quotes from reluctant Boca players via Caracol Deportes.
Carlos Tevez: “We are not in a position to play the game, they are forcing us to play the game. Pablo has a patch in his eye.”
Fernando Gago: “We were very surprised, many players suffered, we struggled to breathe. It’s not the best way to prepare a game.”
9.16pm GMT
This is getting made official now. And won’t cause bad blood at all.
A letter apparently from Conmebol doctors says there is no medical reason to postpone game
More here...https://t.co/SPfkfXw7cQ pic.twitter.com/qhGru3x7Dq
9.11pm GMT
Latest kick-off time is 7.30 pm local time, which is 10.30 pm UK time.
9.10pm GMT
Here is why the game goes ahead - officially, at least.
Conmebol medical dept say there’s no reason not to play pic.twitter.com/CDPaA4QZos
9.08pm GMT
Edouard emails in: “How amazing would it be if Boca came out to play and won this game ? Certainly would go down as one of the greatest wins / stories of all time… but the brain says that if they do play, it will certainly be a River win.Anyhow, I’d be very curious to know what the Boca fans did to earn their suspension. Seeming as River will still play this with 100% home support and all.All in all an interesting first game of Argentinian football for me.”
The ban has been in place for some years now, since 2013. Violence is a big problem in Argentinian football, as the world is finding out today.
9.06pm GMT
An image of Boca captain Pablo Pérez’s eye.
Así está el ojo del capitán de #Boca Pablo Pérez. pic.twitter.com/Dcrgu7IXOa
9.03pm GMT
Here’s a video on the latest.
9.02pm GMT
Some details from Reuters.
“Due to the incidents with the Boca Juniors team bus, the game has been back an hour until 18:00,” the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said.
Some reports said Argentine police fired tear gas at River fans who were throwing missiles at the Boca bus and the gas got into the vehicle.
8.57pm GMT
An email from Eugene Salorio: “I’m at Teatro Colon downtown. Presumably, the four busloads of riot police here aren’t to maintain order among raucous opera goers.”
8.53pm GMT
This appears to be the reasoning of why this game/farce goes ahead.
CONMEBOL's medical team have released a statement saying there is no reason for the game to be suspended, since they cannot confirm injuries suffered in the corneas of two Boca players.
8.51pm GMT
The rumour mill is spinning of FIFA president Gianni Infantino getting involved, and Argentinian president Mauricio Macri, once president of Boca, also having his finger in this pie. But it seems Boca have been forced to play, and against their wishes. River did not appear too willing, either.
8.48pm GMT
This is the latest announcement.
Another announcement: game delayed until 19.15 local time (so another hour and a half from now).
8.44pm GMT
Vladimir Putin was supposed to be at this game. Wonder what he makes of the delay and the fuss.
8.42pm GMT
Fans in the stadium have been told that the game kicks off at 6.20 local time - that’s 9.20pm in the UK. That seems...dubious.
8.41pm GMT
From The Independent’s Miguel Delaney.
River manager Gallardo doesn’t think conditions are right for game to go ahead. Some talk could now be behind closed doors Wed, but some in Conmebol and broadcasters want it today. What a situation.
8.39pm GMT
Nobody warming up so I think the kick off at 6 idea is off.
8.38pm GMT
Gabriel Batistuta has had his say. Translation is: “Another opportunity lost in front of the whole world that observes us, shameful, regrettable.”
Otra oportunidad más perdida delante del mundo entero que nos observa, vergonzoso, lamentable.
8.27pm GMT
BUENOS AIRES - Saturday’s Copa Libertadores final was postponed by an hour after an attack on the Boca Juniors team bus by River Plate fans left several players needing medical attention.
It remains unclear, though, whether the game will go ahead with Boca directors reluctant for their players to be asked to perform so soon after such a traumatic event. The game had been billed as the final to end all finals but after all the excitement and all the build-up, it fell victim to the eternal curse of the Argentinian game: fan violence.
As the Boca bus approached River’s stadium, El Monumental, the police escort led it down Calle Monroe where it was surrounded by River fans. They pelted the bus with missiles and video subsequently released by the Boca showed at least five windows had been shattered.
8.21pm GMT
This overhead image is striking.
And they think there are traffic issues in Manchester ... pic.twitter.com/62ojFl4xLY
8.20pm GMT
Some images from inside the Boca dressing room, which looks like a collection of walking wounded.
Imágenes impactantes: así están los jugadores de Boca en el vestuario del Monumental, descompuestos y heridos tras las agresiones de los hinchas de River (foto @flor_laass). pic.twitter.com/BCAVdJHhLJ
8.18pm GMT
It appears that the medical assessors are still working out whether the Boca players are able to play, and that’s despite the stadium announcement. Boca seem unwilling to play, still.
8.13pm GMT
If you want to read about actual football, there’s always this game in Spain, which kicked off on time and everything.
Related: Atlético Madrid v Barcelona: La Liga – live!
8.09pm GMT
That looks to be that but there may yet be a Boca protest to come and it’s possible the announcement was made to calm fans in the stadium.
8.07pm GMT
Game on?
Announcement over public address says one hour delay. Huge cheers.
8.00pm GMT
Confusion reigns and it does seem that a decision has been made rather than delayed.
It may of course be that this is Conmebol playing for time. I guess we’ll know more if anybody comes out to warm up in the next few minutes.
7.57pm GMT
Clarification on the kick-off time. That CONMEBOL statement suggests the game will kick off *not before* 6pm local time, which opens up to a cancellation or postponement. Boca do not seem to wish to play the game and one player, Pablo Pérez, the veteran midfielder, has gone to hospital.
7.52pm GMT
It feels like this game goes ahead because of the risk of emptying 70,000 fans on to the street, while if Boca lose there will be an asterisk against River’s Copa Libertadores triumph. And overall, this is not good for South American or Argentine football on its big day out.
7.49pm GMT
Justin Kavanagh emails in: “Well it looks like the only hero who’ll be hailed in Buenos Aires tonight will be that bus driver, who must have cojones of steel to keep driving through that gauntlet with his side window shattered and breathing pepper spray. A sad night for Argentinian football.”
7.46pm GMT
So this is confirmation that the game goes ahead at 6pm local time.
Debido a los hechos sucedidos con el bus del Club Boca Juniors, el partido ha sido postergado hasta las 18:00 horas.
7.43pm GMT
Some talk that the game is now set to kick off at 6pm local time, and 9pm UK time. More when we get it.
7.35pm GMT
A video from inside the Boca bus.
TREMENDO | Así quedó el micro de Boca tras los incidentes. Qué locura. @marca https://t.co/6pF2eVaMYH pic.twitter.com/OPP42yGUAe
7.33pm GMT
It’s not looking good for the game to go ahead and with what looks like good reason.
TyC Sports reporting that three Boca players will be taken to hospital for treatment.
The Superclásico Libertadores final is suspended, all we're waiting for is official confirmation.
7.31pm GMT
Here’s some brief footage of the Boca bus being bombarded by River fans and what looks like tear gas or a water cannon being sprayed.
"Los jugadores están todos heridos, así no se puede jugar" https://t.co/ICNLLaLwaX pic.twitter.com/N6KYhVszRh
7.28pm GMT
So we await the decision on whether the game will be delayed by an hour or so - which is the least that will happen - or whether it goes on at all.
7.25pm GMT
Jonathan Wilson is our man on the spot.
Boca have asked for a suspension. Reports Pablo Pérez has slivers of glass in his eye.
7.21pm GMT
We have no teams yet, and for this reason.
There are some Boca players that were being looked at as starters that are "in no condition to play". [Continental] https://t.co/Yl2WA6A7bT
7.15pm GMT
The tear gas that has affected the Boca players was actually sprayed by the Buenos Aires police in their attempts to disperse the crowd and seeped in through the broken windows. What was that I said about the away fans?
7.09pm GMT
This is what became of the bus on the way in. Look for the state of the side windows.
#CopaLibertadores INCIDENTES EN LA LLEGADA DE BOCA AL MONUMENTAL!
Tiraron piedras y botes de gas pimienta al bus de Boca, que ha acabado DESTROZADO.pic.twitter.com/Cx0mQcS9Em
7.06pm GMT
It seems likely the game will be delayed by an hour at the least. Remember last week that it was delayed by heavy rain. Farce doesn’t really begin to cover it.
7.04pm GMT
A translation of this tweet does not look promising.
“The medical body will evaluate the state of health of the players to see if they are in a position to play,” said César Martucci, former leader of #Boca and close to the current leadership. #RiverBoca @clarincom”
"El cuerpo médico evaluará el estado de salud de los jugadores para ver si están en condiciones de jugar", dijo César Martucci, ex dirigente de #Boca y allegado a la actual dirigencia. #RiverBoca @clarincom pic.twitter.com/oCAcwmNzOy
7.01pm GMT
The news is not good. Carlos Tevez is among the players who have come into contact with pepper spray.
Incidents prior to the Libertadores final: Boca's team bus got absolutely destroyed by River fans and there are all sorts of troubles at the entrances. Possible one-hour postponement or even suspension being considered. pic.twitter.com/2PMXfhmczW
6.34pm GMT
This is the biggest game in Argentinian football history, or club football at least. The national team has played in five World Cup finals, of course. But the hype machine is justified in this case. The first leg left this match as finely balanced as possible at 2-2; there are no away goals in the Copa Libertadores final, unlike the rest of the competition. This will be a night for heroes and villains, noise and naughtiness, and it would be little surprise if it went to penalties, in which it would be a surprise if anyone actually scored. Our snouts in Buenos Aires say the atmosphere is crackling if not a little dangerous, though an away fan ban hopefully reduces the possibility of serious trouble.
Still two hours till kick-off. pic.twitter.com/40IA8ERPrs
Continue reading...November 23, 2018
Conmebol asks Fifa to stage the World Cup every two years
• ‘Players could play four World Cups with a two-year cycle’
Conmebol is lobbying Fifa to stage the World Cup every two years rather than every four, president Alejandro Domínguez confirmed on Friday.
Having seen the success of the Uefa Nations League, he would also be open to the possibility of expanding that to include South American teams.
Related: The secrets of Maurizio Sarri: ‘You feel you’re on a different planet with him’
Continue reading...River Plate hold Copa Libertadores advantage with Buenos Aires on edge | Jonathan Wilson
Buenos Aires is a city obsessed. It is impossible not to realise that there is a major game about to happen, that, on Saturday, River Plate will play Boca Juniors in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final. The way the first leg went has only whetted the appetite. It is not only that it finished 2-2, a thrilling game that gives River a slight edge. It was everything that went round it.
There was the 24-hour delay because of torrential rain, as though the elements themselves felt the game deserved an extended buildup, a sense of chaos, of gratification delayed, just as anticipation for the Rumble in the Jungle was enhanced when it was postponed after George Foreman sustained a cut in training. There were anxious eyes on the weather forecast this week as well, but after storms on Thursday, it should be clear for the weekend.
Related: Boca v River: the Libertadores final South America has waited 58 years for
Continue reading...November 22, 2018
Spurs must answer a testing question when Chelsea visit on Saturday | Jonathan Wilson
Win away games against the big six, they said. That’s the real test, they said. That’s what’s holding Tottenham back from taking that extra step and winning trophies, they said. So Tottenham started winning away games against big six sides. After one win in 19 away games against the elite, they beat Chelsea 3-1 at Stamford Bridge in April and Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford in August.
The problem is that since then they have started losing against the big six at home: twice to City and once to Liverpool and, for good measure, to United at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals as well on what was theoretically neutral ground. It’s as though they cannot be good both at home and away at the same time, the most frustrating weather-house in the world.
Related: How are Premier League loan players faring? Part two: Leicester to Wolves
Continue reading...November 12, 2018
José Mourinho’s midfield dogs of war yap harmlessly at City ankles | Jonathan Wilson
Coach deployed Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini as defensive block – but City simply skirted round it
Two contrasting philosophies, a clash of styles, possession against directness, attack against defence – all that discussion and, in the end, very little of it meant anything. Manchester City fundamentally are just better than United.
Much of the pre-match talk had surrounded whether José Mourinho would send his side out to attack, given how his own side look better chasing games and the lingering suspicion that City, impressive as their defensive record appears, can be got at if teams could get through their press. Which is fine but, as Mike Tyson said, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
Related: David Silva sparks Manchester City’s precious derby victory over United
Related: City’s David Silva and Sergio Agüero display their enduring brilliance | Barney Ronay
Continue reading...November 11, 2018
José Mourinho defends Manchester United from ‘outplayed’ claims
• ‘The game was open for 80-something minutes’
• Sterling ticked off by Guardiola after City’s 3-1 win
José Mourinho reached deep into his book of excuses after Manchester United were outplayed in the derby to fall 12 points behind the Premier League leaders.
To almost every observer at the Etihad Stadium, the game was controlled by City but the Manchester United manager saw things differently. Although his side’s only shot on target was the second-half penalty Anthony Martial scored in response to goals from David Silva and Sergio Agüero, he denied the 3-1 scoreline reflected the game.
Related: David Silva sparks Manchester City’s precious derby victory over United
Related: City’s David Silva and Sergio Agüero display their enduring brilliance | Barney Ronay
Continue reading...November 10, 2018
Play the United way: how Mourinho can unhinge Manchester City in derby | Jonathan Wilson
All Mourinho’s instincts will be to kill the game but going for broke represents his best chance of another famous win
When people said they wanted José Mourinho to make Manchester United more like Alex Ferguson’s treble winners, this, presumably, isn’t quite what they meant. The capacity to fight back, to score late goals and to win games that have seemed lost is undoubtedly a useful one, but it does raise major questions about how Mourinho should approach Sunday’s Manchester derby.
Wednesday’s victory at Juventus was the third time in the last six games that United have found a winner in the final five minutes, but it was also the fifth time in those six matches that they had conceded the opening goal of the game. It is as though they need the release of going behind to commit to attack – and this unbalanced squad is far more set up to attack than to defend. At Chelsea, and to a lesser extent against Everton, United suffered when, having secured a lead, they then tried to defend it.
Related: José Mourinho urges Manchester United to go toe-to-toe with City in derby
Related: Manchester United ‘optimistic’ for derby after win at Juve, says Ander Herrera
Continue reading...November 8, 2018
Boca v River: the Libertadores final South America has waited 58 years for
Bitter Argentinian rivals are up against each other over two legs but no away fans will be allowed – it is simply too dangerous
Pepper spray in the tunnel, an inflatable pig floated in front of the away fans, Carlos Tévez being sent off for performing a chicken dance … take your pick: the superclásico has an almost inexhaustible store of anecdote, ranging from the bizarre to the tragic, the wackiness of the image often disguising the menace that lies beneath. Boca Juniors against River Plate is one of the world’s great derbies, maybe the greatest, and there is perhaps something appropriate about the fact that the last two-leg final of the Copa Libertadores will see these two most celebrated of rivals go head to head.
The stadiums, themselves shabby, atmospheric, dripping with history, may only be eight miles apart, but no away fans will be allowed at either leg. Those are eight critical miles, a journey that not only takes you past the Planetarium, outside which the first football match was played on Argentinian soil by British Freemasons in 1867, but represents the distance River travelled from their origins in the same docks as Boca to leafy Núñez. They are the immigrants made good, the rivalry cast as working- against middle-class, the sweat and industry of Boca against the style and artistry of River.
Related: Buenos Aires 2-0 Brazil: how River and Boca set up a Superclásico final
Continue reading...Jonathan Wilson's Blog
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