O’Higgins defy Conmebol, won’t move for 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 O’Higgins of Chile in the Copa Sudamericana playoff, but their stadium does not meet the minimum capacity set by Conmebol, so the venue for the matchup is still uncertain.

Rancagua’s El Teniente Stadium has a capacity of 14,000 fans, 6,000 fewer than the limit established by South American soccer’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 could happen. When a team starts the tournament, it submits its stadium and other options in case attendance is limited,” confessed 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 the request. We want to play at home at El Teniente because it’s our house. 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 to be the main option to host the match if the possibility of playing at O’Higgins’ ground is rejected. According to 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 venue 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 at a venue with greater capacity. However, the club’s leadership has not lost hope and has already contacted Conmebol in an attempt to obtain authorization to play at El Teniente in Rancagua.

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