The true mess surrounding the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final is coming to the fore, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino has hardly showered himself in glory.
The incidents that occurred in the lead up the second leg were dreadful to say the least, with the reaction by senior FIFA & CONEMBOL members just as bad.
Considering a number of players were in no state – physically and mentally – to be playing what was arguably the biggest match in Argentinian football history, the suggestion that the match should go ahead within 48 hours of the scheduled kick off was ridiculous.
Afternoons on FNR presenter Rick D’Andrea was scathing in his criticism of Infantino.
“You do not authorise a match and you do not force a match to be played because you want to earn a little bit of TV rights money.”
Player welfare simply had to be the top priority in this situation, and it shouldn’t have taken almost two days for decisions to be made.
How the competition is now decided and the consequences of that, namely the South American spot at the Club World Cup, remains to be seen. One thing is certain though: football fans from around the world have been robbed of one of the most highly anticipated fixtures in the history of football.
