Protests, new coach and closed gates ahead of Medellín vs Vasco Sudamericana tie | OneFootball

Vasco visit Independiente Medellín on Wednesday at 19:00 Brasília time in the Sudamericana play-off first leg. The hosts face protests, a new coach and a stadium closure.

According to Globo.com, the Atanasio Girardot will be closed to fans under a Conmebol sanction. It follows May’s halted and cancelled Libertadores match against Flamengo.

Violent protests, pyrotechnics and invasions brought a W.O. defeat and fines of about R$ 510,000. This is the first of five home games Medellín must stage without supporters.

On 12 July, thousands joined the “Marcha pela Dignidade do DIM”. Demonstrators targeted principal shareholder Raúl Giraldo’s financial management and results, after a first half league exit and a group-stage Libertadores elimination.

Supporters also criticised key sales without replacements and urged a sale to new investors if football spending does not rise. To cut costs after fines and the Libertadores exit, 11 players left in the mid-year window.

Six signings arrived, midfielder Agustín Martegani, defenders Joaquín Varela and Alfonso Simarra, forwards Carlos Lucumí and Jeison Medina, and winger Juan Córdoba.

Medellín turned to history by appointing former defender Luis Amaranto Perea as head coach. He assisted Néstor Lorenzo with Colombia through the World Cup cycle, is revered from his playing days at Medellín, Boca Juniors and Atlético de Madrid, and won the 2002 Clausura, ending a 45-year wait.

This is his third job after Itagüí Leones and Junior Barranquilla. His official debut comes in this tie. Last month the club also reverted to its original 1913 emblem.

Source: Globo.com