Vasco request Maracanã for Boca Juniors semi-final as venue decision drags | OneFootball

Vasco have lodged a formal request to stage their 13 October continental semi-final against Boca Juniors at the Maracanã, with the venue still to be confirmed.

According to Globo.com, São Januário is currently off the table under CONMEBOL regulations, which require a minimum 30,000 capacity for semi-finals.

There has been no reply yet and relations with the Fla-Flu consortium running the Maracanã have been fraught. The rivals say the pitch is in poor condition and cannot absorb a busy run of games. Flamengo are due to play a Libertadores tie two days after Vasco’s date with Boca.

The uncertainty over where Vasco x Boca Juniors would be played was one factor behind CONMEBOL’s later-than-usual release of fixtures, which arrived on Monday rather than the customary Friday.

Inside Vasco there remains hope that CONMEBOL could relax the rule to allow São Januário, citing last year’s exception that let Independiente del Valle host Atlético-MG in a 12,000-capacity ground in the Sudamericana semi-final.

Privately, that case is not gaining traction, with the availability of Estádio Nilton Santos undermining the plea. Del Valle had no comparable nearby option at the time.

Beyond the Maracanã, where Vasco do not rule out another legal push for permission, Nilton Santos is an alternative about 8 km from São Januário. Club leadership, however, view Botafogo’s stadium only as a last resort due to its synthetic turf.

Source: Globo.com

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