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River already has 25 infected, has no goalkeeper and for now must appear with 10 to the Copa Libertadores match

2021-05-20T15:15:07.122Z


River leaders asked Conmebol to enable goalkeeper Leo Díaz. If they don't accept the order, will Enzo Pérez stop?


Maximiliano benozzi

05/17/2021 11:04 PM

  • Clarín.com

  • sports

Updated 05/18/2021 2:02 AM

River had another day of rage and bad news.

On Monday evening, nine more positive cases were known

: five players who are on the list of the Copa de la Libertadores, another two more from Reserve, and two members of the coaching staff.

In total,

there are already 25 cases

, including the First and Reserve teams and the coaching staff of Marcelo Gallardo. 

And if

the outlook was already complicated after the 15 infected players

 (plus the goalkeeping coach) that he already had and that left the squad decimated to play against Boca, the situation worsened in the face of Wednesday's clash against Independiente Santa Fe for the Libertadores Cup

. Leonardo Ponzio, Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Beltrán, Alex Vigo and Flabián Londoño joined that list

. Also Tomás Galván (played against Boca) and Pablo Cáceres, from the Reserve, but they are not on the Cup list.

If Enzo Pérez, with a muscle injury and Javier Pinola, who still does not have a medical discharge for the fracture in his right forearm, are counted as possible casualties, River has 10 players available of the 32 he scored on the Cup list.

He needs Conmebol to enable Díaz, not only to have a goalkeeper in the goal, but also to complete a team with 11

.

Alan Leonardo Díaz became the millionaire hope of the last hours.Photos: MARCELO CARROLL

In that sense, the regulation is very cruel.

With having a minimum of seven players available, you still have to go out on the court

.

And if it does not, River is exposed to very harsh sanctions: exclusion from the Copa Libertadores, inability to play international competitions for five years and a severe financial fine.

But with these threats disguised as clauses, the one that has already been exposed is Conmebol.

Against this background, the possibility of not showing up was not evaluated in River.

And this was confirmed in a statement that the club released in the first minutes of this Tuesday.

In the letter, he indicates that he has

already asked Conmebol to be allowed to add goalkeepers Leo Díaz and Agustín Gómez to the list.

"

We are going to the front with what we have,

" they said, after meetings at the Monumental and on the Ezeiza campus, from the leadership and the coaching staff, which also had positive results (the nutritionist Marcelo Pudelka and one of the kinesiologists, Enrique Confalonieri, They joined Tato Montes, the goalkeeping coach, who tested positive on Friday).

Late on Monday a meeting was held at the offices of Udaondo and Figueroa Alcorta, between Rodolfo D'Onofrio, Jorge Brito, Enzo Francescoli and the club's lawyers.

The request was made to Conmebol for the special qualification of the two archers not included in the list

, whose submission limit was this Tuesday at two in the afternoon.

River also planned to request the postponement of the game with Fluminense from Tuesday 25 to Thursday 27 May so that the players who tested positive on Saturday can be available.

Ponzio also with Covid Photo: EFE / Daniel Jayo POOL

From Luque there is an inflexible position

.

They affirm that, like the rest of the teams,

River "was given the chance to register 50 players and they chose to put 32"

.

And that last year when Athlético Paranaense, River's rival in the round of 16, suffered a massive contagion and was left without a substitute goalkeeper, he made a request to incorporate one and was denied.

If now they make the exception with the Núñez club, they understand that there will be massive complaints from the other institutions.

On the other hand, they

claim to have verified that River did not reinforce the protocols in Colombia

and that the bubble was broken, not only in the trip to Barranquilla last week, but also in the Ezeiza property.

In turn, in the South American entity, they do not forget Gallardo's statements in a press conference last year, prior to the restart of Libertadores 2020.

I work with a professional group of no more than 30 players

. That, for one thing. And then to the possibilities that Conmebol gave us to add ten places (last year there were first 40 and then it was expanded to 50) it seemed more absurd to me. First, because I don't have more than 30 players working with me; second, because the juniors who joined began training a week ago and I was not going to give them a false illusion because they are not yet to make a list for such an important and prestigious competition. And third, because I am not going to put them. And

if at some point there is an episode that indicates that we are exposed to a massive contagion, it will be because we do not have to play,

"said River's coach.

The Covid-19 tests carried out today gave positive results for Lucas Beltrán, Flabian Londoño Bedoya, Gonzalo Montiel, Leonardo Ponzio and Alex Vigo.

Marcelo Pudelka (nutritionist) and Enrique Confalonieri (kinesiologist) also tested positive.



ℹ️ https://t.co/9xg9GawaTP pic.twitter.com/aWCTr5IH8U

- River Plate (@RiverPlate) May 17, 2021

And Gallardo continued, with a well-directed hint to the organization of the Copa Libertadores: "Who would think of exposing boys to professionals? To the clubs that have the possibility to do so, I respect them. Now they have expanded the quota to 50 And where do I get 50 footballers? I am not going to look for boys in the eighth and ninth divisions to complete the Conmebol list.

It is abnormal and I am in charge of my decision

. "

Conmebol does not consider the coronavirus a "serious injury" and that is why they went to the expansion of quotas last year. Then, a lawyer with experience in sports matters, consulted by

Clarín

, commented: “

It is so ridiculous to grasp the word serious injury

that then in the hypothetical case that one or more archers suffer any serious illness that does not allow them to tackle for a long time time, they would not authorize the substitution because an article of the regulation speaks of serious injury and not of substitution due to diseases… ”.

The main argument that River sought to present

, after consulting with lawyers specializing in sports law, was to appeal to the sports spirit of the rule that the intention is for a team not to be left without a goalkeeper. And that if a field player saves, it will be a piece of cake for the South American entity that will turn the command.

Article 3.5.7.12 of the Copa Libertadores Regulations states the following: “

The substitution of an injured goalkeeper may be allowed during any stage of the tournament, once the seriousness of the injury has been verified and certified by the Commission. Conmebol doctor

(...). In exceptional cases, and at its sole discretion, Conmebol may analyze requests for substitutions of goalkeepers due to injury, whose request and documentation are sent within the corresponding period ”.

In turn,

River wanted to wield a precedent of September 2020

.

FIFA endorsed an exception in favor of Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, which was authorized to replace two of its goalkeepers in the face of a coronavirus outbreak similar to the one that Gallardo's cast suffers today in the Champions League of the Asian Confederation.

In short, River is hit by the large number of coronavirus cases and trapped by the Conmebol regulation that forces it to play as it is.

Players available

Of the 32 registered on the Copa Libertadores list, River has 20 players infected with coronavirus.

In turn,

Javier Pinola is recovering from a fracture in his left forearm and Enzo Pérez suffered a muscle injury against Boca.

In this way, the ten players available are: Tomás Lecanda, Jonatan Maidana, David Martínez, Fabrizio Angileri, José Paradela, Milton Casco, Julián Álvarez, Jorge Carrascal, Agustín Fontana and Felipe Peña Biafore.

The latter was in doubt because his brother Leandro, also a River Inferior player, tested positive and it was supposed to be close contact.

However, they did not coexist in the last days.

Therefore, having tested negative for the PCR, Felipe is there to play. 

Pinola and Enzo Pérez, two injured banners.

So far River is missing a player to complete the starting eleven.

If goalkeeper Díaz is not enabled, will Enzo Pérez go to goal?

Beyond the muscular ailment, this Tuesday the midfielder will be evaluated.

And since he has put gloves on several times during the informal training sessions, it is not ruled out that he will stand under the three sticks.

Now, the ball belongs to Conmebol, and we will see to what extent that slogan that marks its decisions lately and that says that "The show must go on" continues to predominate.

Even when?

With these attitudes, the South American entity is only being exposed. 










Source: clarin

All news articles on 2021-05-20

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