Rosario Central barred Independiente media, tension rises before play-offs | OneFootball

Rosario Central’s leadership argued that it cannot guarantee the safety of visiting press, and Independiente responded with a strongly worded statement.

The buildup to this Sunday’s clash between Rosario Central and Independiente, set for 3 p.m. in the Round of 16 of the Apertura Tournament, became embroiled in controversy over issues off the pitch. Less than two days before the match, Rosario Central announced that media outlets affiliated with Independiente will not be accredited to enter the Gigante de Arroyito due to “security reasons.”

The notification came amid an already heated atmosphere between the two institutions. The first chapter came after comments from Néstor Grindetti, Independiente’s president, who hinted at some concern over the performance of the refereeing team during the match.

“Hopefully on Sunday we can talk about football and not controversial decisions,” the chairman wrote on his social media after Yael Falcón Pérez was confirmed as the main referee and Lucas Novelli on VAR. “We’re keeping a close eye on making sure no refereeing issue prevents us from winning this championship,” he later added on Radio La Red. From that point on, tensions escalated and, coincidence or not, ended up leading to Rosario Central’s decision not to approve credentials for visiting partisan journalists.

Independiente’s statement after Rosario Central’s decision

Through an official message, Independiente explained that it received a communication in which Rosario Central informed them that “they cannot guarantee the safety of Independiente’s partisan journalists” attending the stadium. For that reason, the club recommended that media outlets not travel on their own “prioritizing each person’s personal safety” and confirmed that credentials will not be approved for match coverage.

Later, the Avellaneda club published another message backing the partisan journalists and indirectly criticizing Central’s stance. “To our partisan journalists: you are not alone. The club stands with you and is making its facilities available so that no voice of the Rojo goes unheard,” the statement shared on social media said. In this way, the booths at Libertadores de América will be available for use in covering the match.

In addition, the institution thanked “the club’s directors, groups, and figures from its political sphere” who spoke out publicly in support of the press workers in light of “Rosario Central’s inability to guarantee their safety.”

The stance of Santa Fe’s Security Ministry

Amid the controversy, Santa Fe’s Security Ministry weighed in on the situation and chose to distance itself from Central’s decision, assuring that the province has the necessary tools to guarantee the safety of accredited journalists. In a statement, the agency said that any inconvenience “responds exclusively to organizational issues unrelated to the security operation,” thereby distancing itself from the measure adopted by the Rosario club.

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