Daniel Avellaneda
04/20/2021 11:53
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 04/20/2021 11:57 AM
Eternal glory
is the slogan of the Libertadores. After all, for any team in the region, lifting the highest continental trophy is the main objective of the annual calendar.
The great conquest
is the motto of the South American. And although it is a second-rate competition, it is still less seductive.
There are two stars at stake and a lot of money.
And for Argentine clubs, especially, it is still the main goal of this 2021. Winning cups translates into genuine income in dollars, a rare commodity in the country of exchange restrictions.
Also, the possibility of oxygenate the finances that are hit by the bleeding of partners that the pandemic produced.
Passion is the patrimony of the fans.
Leaders and players, regardless of the sports career, go for the big prizes.
Velez.
He will return to Libertadores after 6 years.
There are
15 million dollars
for the champion of the Libertadores and
4 million
for the winner of the South American. With a plus of 25% of the collection, assuming that the final can be carried out with the public, something unlikely in the times of Covid-19. So, it is impossible to separate the ball from the winnings.
Soccer, of course, is big business.
That is why they all go headlong into the international tournaments, whose group stages will begin to be played tonight.
There are 13 teams in the Professional Soccer League - yes, half of those that play the championship - that this week will begin their participation in the two cups.
Boca, River, Racing, Argentinos Juniors, Vélez and Defensa y Justicia in the Libertadores; Independiente, San Lorenzo, Newell's, Central, Lanús, Arsenal and Talleres in the Sudamericana.
Champion of the South American and the Recopa.
Defense and Justice will premiere its titles in the highest continental competition.
How important will these contests be that the Ministry of National Security had to authorize the games to be played at night, just when the presidential DNU prohibits circulation after 8 p.m. There were contacts between Conmebol and the Argentine Government and reached an agreement.
In short, it was much more risky from the health point of view to move the AMBA (Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires) campuses to the interior than to allow the holding of events in the stadiums of the Province of Buenos Aires and the Capital.
15 million dollars.
The champion of the Copa Libertadores will be taken.
Nearly $ 100 million was invested to ensure the safety of the Cups.
And the contagion rate is negligible: out of 32,520 tests that were performed on soccer players, coaches and the rest of the players in the 2020 competitions, only 0.32 were positive.
Last week, a commercial exchange agreement was even signed with Sinovac, the Chinese firm that will provide 50,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine to the ten member associations.
With an audience of 374.3 million viewers through the different platforms and an arrival in 191 countries, the show must continue.
In that sense, the Argentine teams will have different challenges.
Libertadores Cup
River will try to be the protagonist as during the entire cycle of Marcelo Gallardo, who from 2015 to date won two Libertadores and with the exception of 2016, when he was eliminated in the second round, he always reached the semifinals.
It will have two Colombian rivals (Santa Fe and Junior) and Fluminense.
On Thursday, at 7 p.m., he will debut with the Brazilians in Rio de Janeiro.
Gala dresses.
Argentinos return to the Cup after 10 years.
And it already has its own brand.
Boca will go back to desperately chasing the seventh, that Cup that has been denied since 2007, precisely with Miguel Angel Russo on the bench.
His baptism will be at 3600 meters above sea level, tomorrow before The Strongest.
Barcelona de Guayaquil and Santos will be his other rivals.
Racing only won the Libertadores once (1967) and has not achieved an international title for 33 years (Super Cup 88).
He will play against Rentistas on Wednesday in Montevideo.
And he is excited, beyond his wandering course in the local tournament and a questioned coach.
San Pablo (directed by Hernán Crespo) and Sporting Cristal complete the group.
Vélez will face his 16th participation in the Cup that he won in 1994 and the one he did not play 6 years ago.
His first stumbling block will be Flamengo, no less, this Tuesday at Liniers.
Afterwards, he will have to face Liga de Quito and Unión La Calera de Chile.
Argentinos want to reissue that wonderful 1985. They will receive the three-time National champion tonight after a decade away.
Universidad Católica and Atlético Nacional will be two other tough opponents.
Defense and Justice came to this instance to win the Sudamericana.
Flaming Recopa champion, tomorrow he will visit Independiente del Valle and then he will be measured again with Palmeiras and Universitario de Perú.
South American Cup
From this year on, it will be played in the group stage and it will be very demanding: only the first from each zone will qualify.
In the round of 16 will be added the eight third parties that come from the Libertadores.
Two-time champion of the South American.
He won it in 2010 and 2017. Today, in another context, he seeks to make the international leap.
There will be an Argentine duel: San Lorenzo-Central.
The Cyclone eliminated the U of Chile, but could not advance in the Libertadores against Santos.
Tomorrow he will make his debut against Huachipato at the New Gasometer and the people of Rosario will visit October 12, Paraguay.
Independiente, two-time 2010 and 2017 champion, will face Guabirá from Bolivia.
Then to Bahia and Torque City.
San Lorenzo.
He was eliminated from the Copa Libertadores in phase 2. He will play the Sudamericana and will have Rosario Central as his rival.
Lanús will travel to Venezuela to face Aragua (he shares the group with Gremio and La Equidad);
Arsenal to La Paz to play with Bolívar (Ceará and Wilstermann, their other rivals) and Newell's to Brazil where they will face Atlético Goianiense (Libertad and Palestino).
Workshops will receive Emelec (Tolima and Bragantino).