River Plate have issued a strong statement rejecting the CONMEBOL’s decision to play the second leg of their Copa Libertadores final against Boca Juniors in Madrid.
Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu has been chosen as a neutral venue after the second leg was twice postponed after Boca Juniors' bus was attacked ahead of last weekend's second leg.
South American football's regulatory body Conmebol eventually arranged for the second leg to be played on December 9, but River Plate are against moving the game 6,000 miles away from Buenos Aires.
The club claim the switch is unfair on supporters who paid to watch the second leg at River's El Monumental stadium, while also making the game less competitive.
A statement read: "River Plate reject the change of venue.
"The club understands that the decision [to play in Madrid] ... adversely affects those who bought tickets and also upsets the idea of equal conditions by taking away home advantage."
It continues: "Argentine football as a whole and the Argentine Football Association cannot and should not allow a handful of violent [fans] to impede the development of the Superclasico in our country."
