“High risk”: Chile bars Boca fans from U Católica's Claro Arena | OneFootball

Xeneize will make their debut on Tuesday the 7th away against Universidad Católica in the Copa Libertadores group stage.

Boca will make their debut on Tuesday the 7th in the Copa Libertadores group stage, in its long-awaited return after two editions. It will be away against Universidad Católica. But not without obstacles: after offering fewer tickets than Conmebol requires, the controversy continues in Chile and now the local government wants there to be no away fans.

Católica’s initial intention was to give Boca 450 tickets, although the confederation’s regulations require a minimum of 2,000 between the group stage and the quarterfinals. The argument was that the section designated for away fans has that capacity, in a remodeled stadium that holds just over 20,000.

The local government has now entered the controversy, citing security concerns. “The mayor (Catalina San Martín) has made us aware of the difficulty of holding the match under normal conditions; she has asked us to declare it high risk, so that fans of the opposing team are barred from attending,” said Germán Codina, the presidential delegate for the Metropolitan Region.

Although the decision has not yet been made, it will be analyzed in the coming days by different sectors of the government, with the participation of Chile’s Ministry of Sports, as Codina explained.

“What we are going to do is make the best possible decision so that a sporting event keeps the characteristics of a sporting event and does not end up turning into a dangerous event or one that puts the safety of residents at risk,” the delegate added.

The historic San Carlos de Apoquindo stadium, whose renovation was completed in 2025 and which was renamed Claro Arena, is located in the district of Las Condes, an upscale residential area far from downtown. And this will be its international debut since its capacity increased from 14,000 to 20,000 spectators.

Boca does not accept that number because at La Bombonera the away section is larger and a lot of space would go to waste. So it wants the Chilean club to comply with the regulations. Although they could choose not to and pay a fine.

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