Match called off: what’s next for Independiente and U de Chile | OneFootball

The possible courses of action for Conmebol following the suspension due to the extremely serious incidents in Avellaneda.

After the extremely serious incidents that have made headlines around the world, the match between Independiente and Universidad de Chile for the Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 was formally “canceled” by Conmebol, and both teams are facing very severe sanctions.

Although there is still a long investigation ahead, initial reports accessed by TyC Sports indicate that both clubs could be disqualified from the tournament, in addition to a possible expulsion from international competitions for all of 2026.

At the time of the cancellation, with the score at 1-1 at the Libertadores de América, the series was 2-1 in favor of La U, as they had won the first leg 1-0 in Santiago. Apparently, that will matter little. As a recent precedent, with incidents of similar severity and two fatalities, earlier this year there was acancellation of the match between Colo-Colo and Fortaleza in the Libertadores.

At that time, the Cacique was harshly punished by being handed a loss for the match. However, the situation in this case is different because, although the incidents began on the Chilean side, the brutal response from the home team also exposed them.

Officially, the statement was formal and brief. “Due to the lack of security guarantees from the home club and local security authorities, which would ensure the continuation of the match between Independiente (ARG) and Universidad de Chile (CHI) for the Round of 16 of the 2025 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, the match is hereby canceled,” they announced.

“Given that the procedures established in the Club Manual for similar situations have been followed, and the situation has not been resolved, the match is canceled and the case will be referred to the Judicial Bodies of CONMEBOL for further determinations,” they added.

Independiente, through its president Néstor Grindetti, confirmed to TyC Sports that they will fight not to be sanctioned and to prove that it was all Universidad de Chile’s fault — where they are already expecting a harsh punishment — even though the images speak for themselves.

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