With Qatar ruled out as the venue for the Finalissima between Argentina and Spain due to the escalating tension in the Middle East, UEFA is insisting on moving the match to the Santiago Bernabéu. However, that option does not appear viable for the Argentine Football Association (AFA), as it would not guarantee the neutral venue required for a match involving an intercontinental title.
In this context, Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, president of the AFA, proposed that the game be played at the Estadio Monumental, home of River Plate, and assured that he will make the necessary arrangements with CONMEBOL to try to change the Finalissima venue.
“We’re going to get to work because Spain wants the Finalissima to be played in Spain, and I want it to be played at the Monumental,” Tapia declared as he left the courts.
A concert stands in the way of the Finalissima
The proposal faces a major scheduling conflict. Even though River Plate does not have a home match scheduled for March 27, the Monumental Stadium is already booked for a series of AC/DC concerts.
The historic Australian rock band is set to perform at the Estadio Monumental on that same day, in addition to other shows scheduled for the 27th and 31st of the month. This AC/DC concert seriously complicates the possibility of hosting the Argentina vs Spain Finalissima at that venue.
One of the possible alternatives would be to change the date of the Finalissima, although that option appears unlikely given the extremely tight international football calendar. Another possibility would be to move the match to the June FIFA window, between June 1 and June 9, although that period falls less than two weeks before the start of the FIFA World Cup.
Given this scenario, there is a real possibility that the Argentina vs Spain Finalissima could end up canceled, something that would leave many football fans disappointed at missing the chance to see two major national teams face off-especially the highly anticipated duel between Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal.
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