O’Higgins defies Conmebol, won't move to host Boca: “It’s our home” | OneFootball

Boca lost 1-0 to Universidad Católica at La Bombonera and was eliminated from the Copa Libertadores in the Group Stage. El Xeneize finished third in its group and will play the Copa Sudamericana playoff against Chile’s O’Higgins. However, their stadium does not meet Conmebol’s minimum capacity requirement, so the venue for the matchup is still unclear.

Rancagua’s Estadio El Teniente has a capacity of 14,000 fans, 6,000 short of the limit set by South American football’s governing body. “When we beat Millonarios on the anniversary, we started thinking about the issue. We had already read the regulations. We knew it was a possibility. When a team starts the tournament, it submits its stadium and other options in case capacity is limited,” admitted Matías Ahumada, one of the club’s directors.

“An exception can be made in the next phase; it depends on Conmebol. We’re going to make our case. We want to play at home at El Teniente because it’s our home. If we draw, for example, Boca or Palmeiras, we would need a bigger stadium, so we’re going to start the process now,” he explained.

In this context, the National Stadium appears as the main option to host the match if the possibility of playing at O’Higgins’ ground is rejected. According to the outlet En Cancha, those at El Celeste see it as more likely that the match will be moved to Santiago than that they will receive an exception to keep their home game in Rancagua.

In Chile, they are aware that Boca is one of the biggest and most widely supported clubs on the continent, so they understand that El Xeneize could push to play the match in a larger-capacity venue. However, the club’s leadership has not lost hope and has already contacted Conmebol to try to obtain authorization allowing them to play at El Teniente in Rancagua.

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