Daniel Avellaneda
07/12/2020 - 13:48
- Clarín.com
- sports
South American football is advancing, but in Argentina there is an impasse that dislodges the clubs. Conmebol's decision, which set the Libertadores resumption date for September 15, convulsed the AFA . The leaders, who until June 30 had the ball under the sole, are now desperate because they are not in control of the situation. Above all, those teams that participate in the Cup. In that sense, with Boca, River, Defense and Justice and Tigre in the lead, asked that their matches be postponed for a week and start training after July 17,when in theory the "strict" quarantine will end in the AMBA (Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area). Racing, which did not subscribe to the letter, will wait for the definitions of the Ministry of Health.
"We sent a note to Conmebol, through the AFA, to authorize us to play the Cup a week later," José Lemme, president of Defense and Justice, told Clarín . He added: "Ideally, those teams that played the Libertadores could start training in small groups of two or three players in order to have the full roster on the same field in August and be ready by mid-September."
The position of the cup teams , to which Racing also adheres, even if it has not been in writing, runs contrary to the resolution that Claudio Tapia took on June 16. That day, the president of the AFA reported through official channels that the training would return when the entire country "is in phase 4". In the AMBA, even with mixed eyes between the City and the Province, an opening is being considered that could lead to phase 3. In this context, will Chiqui be a slave to his own words or will he make a request to the Government to achieve the authorization requested by clubs? What will they say in the provinces with the least restrictions, where they could not train by arrangement of the Viamonte mother house?
In Boca they are forceful. "From the authorization for training, we need 60 days to put the team in optimal conditions," say Jorge Amor Ameal. For this scenario it would be necessary to train, at the latest, on Wednesday. And that will not be possible. If he starts after 17 and manages to postpone his match with Libertad in Asunción by a week, then the required period will be there. In Paraguay, precisely, the championship will resume on Friday.
River retired the team in March: when there were almost no cases, he did not play the game with Atlético Tucumán and generated internal friction. A month ago, Marcelo Gallardo raised his voice. He asked that at least the clubs inside could be trained. He claimed some light.
Racing prefers to wait for the 17th. "We want to see what the outlook is to be able to comment and see what they say in the Ministry of Health," explained Víctor Blanco, very close to the Minister of Health, Ginés González García, in dialogue with Clarín .
As Clarín could find out , it is difficult for Conmebol to accommodate the request of the Argentine clubs . The letter is rather an element of pressure within borders. And in the Government they do not take it with grace because July is the month with the highest daily infected registry. He did not like that Nicolás Russo, president of Lanús, said that between August 5 and 10 they would be able to start training. It was clear in the statements of two ministers: González García (Health) and Matías Lammens (Tourism and Sports). On Saturday, officials expressed anger at the South American body's decision.
The players, meanwhile, train how they can. Via Zoom, some in apartments and others, the most fortunate, in open spaces. To return to high competition they will need to step on the green grass sooner rather than later. Their colleagues from the rest of the continent have already taken advantage of them.
