“We never refused to play”: Boto on Flamengo v Medellín suspension | OneFootball

Independiente Medellín (COL) fans protested outside Flamengo this Thursday (07)

The abrupt end to the match between Flamengo and Independiente Medellín (COL) this Thursday (07) put everyone’s safety at risk. Football director José Boto said Fla did want to take the field, but Atanasio Girardot Stadium had turned into a war zone.

— Needless to say, we always want to play, we never refuse to play; now, for us, safety is important. The safety of our players, also the safety of the opposing team’s players, of the entire crowd itself, of the fans — said Boto, who added:

— And, at a certain point, even Medellín’s own president acknowledged that there were no safety conditions, not even inside, even if they evacuated the stadium, nor afterward, outside, for us to go to the airport or anywhere else. It turned into a war zone, as you said — highlighted the Rubro-Negro executive.

What happened between Flamengo and Medellín?

Matchday 4 of Group A of the Libertadores became the scene of protests by Independiente Medellín fans unhappy with the club’s board. Then, bombs, flares, and small fires broke out within a minute and a half of play.

The referee stopped the match, the players went to the locker room, and an hour and a half later, Conmebol decided to definitively call off the game. Therefore, José Boto demanded that the entity award a walkover and the three points to the Most Beloved.

What is the next match?

While waiting for the three points in the Libertadores, Flamengo face Grêmio this Sunday (10). The teams meet in Porto Alegre at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time) in the 15th round of the Brasileirão.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.