After quake postponement, River Plate v Santa Fe gets new date | OneFootball

The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) rescheduled both matches in the series between Independiente Santa Fe and River Plate in the round of 16 of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana, following the suspension caused by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Colombia on Monday, August 10. The matches will be played on August 19 and 26, one week later than originally scheduled.

The quake was centered in San José del Palmar, in the department of Chocó, and was recorded at 7:34 a.m. that Monday. Its effects were felt in Bogotá, Cali, Manizales, and Pereira, and the shockwaves reached Ecuador and Panama. Given the scale of the disaster, Conmebol acted quickly: it first suspended the matches that same Monday and, the following day, made the new schedule official.

The first leg had been set for Wednesday, August 12 at 7:30 p.m. (Colombia time), that is, 9:30 p.m. in Argentina, at El Campín Stadium in Bogotá. The return leg was to be played the following week at the Monumental Stadium in Núñez. With the rescheduling, the first leg was moved to August 19 in the Colombian capital, and the second leg was set for August 26 at the Monumental, both at 9:30 p.m.

In an official statement, Conmebol expressed its position: “The South American Football Confederation expresses its deepest solidarity with the Colombian people in the face of the devastating earthquake that has affected the country today”. The organization also explained that the suspension was intended to “preserve everyone’s safety and show respect for the victims.” The measure also affected the match between Deportes Tolima and Independiente del Valle in the Copa Libertadores.

The decision also forced River Plate to reorganize its week. Eduardo Coudet’s squad had trained on Monday with the presence of Thiago Almada, the attacking midfielder who arrived from Atlético de Madrid and trained alongside the group for the first time. His availability for the clash in Bogotá was uncertain: Coudet himself had said it would be “unrealistic” to think about the player at 2,600 meters of altitude after a vacation period, although he clarified that he could be available for the Sunday before the first leg and for the return match.

Despite those doubts, Almada was included in River’s official squad list for this stage, replacing Agustín De La Cuesta. Left out of the roster were Francisco Ortega, Lucas Beltrán, Giovanni González, and Mauro Arambarri, who is recovering from an injury. Changes to the list include Tobías Andrada for Alex Woiski, Nicolás Otamendi for Cristian Jaime, Ángel Correa for Juan Fernando Quintero, and Rafael Santos Borré, who won the battle with Beltrán for a place in the squad.

With the match in Colombia postponed, River’s next commitment will be against Argentinos Juniors on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. at the Monumental, for the fifth round of the Torneo Clausura.

At the local level, the Major Division of Colombian Football (DIMAYOR) also suspended the entire schedule of the professional tournament for the week. “Colombian football is, above all, a family, and in difficult times we must remain united and supportive. Today football can wait. Colombia needs us,” the organization said in its statement. The 36 professional clubs that make up the DIMAYOR

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