Both defended the position of playing in a neutral venue and assured that there was always a 'will to play' the match
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Shortly after the official confirmation of the cancellation of theFinal between Argentina and Spain, CONMEBOL andthe Argentine FootballAssociation ( AFA) released a joint statement stating their version of the events and explaining that the match was suspended after failing to reach an agreement with UEFA on the date to play it
in a neutral venue.
As reported by the South American organization, both institutions “reiterated at all times their willingness to contest the Final on neutral ground” and even accepted the proposed venue after UEFA's insistence that the match be played at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. However, they stressed that this alternative "would be lacking in the principle of sports equity because it is not a neutral venue”.
Tapia and Domínguez met on Thursday night to discuss the venue for the Final
The statement also recalled that, months ago, both confederations had agreed to play the match in Qatar, a country that, according to them, has demonstrated the capacity to organize events of this magnitude and a strong commitment to football. However, that possibility was later ruled out because of the conflicts in the Middle East
.
After the fall of that headquarters, the parties began new efforts to find a solution. In this context, on Saturday, March 14, a proposal came to the AFA to play the match on March 27 in Italy, also on neutral ground. Argentina accepted the idea, although it proposed a modification: to play the match on March 31. For now, the reason for this request is unknown, since the 27th was the original date of the Final in Qatar
.
CONMEBOL explained that UEFA rejected this alternative, considering that the date was not feasible, despite the fact that it was only four days apart from the original proposal. In the absence of agreement, the Finalissima was officially canceled
. Due to lack of agreement, the Final was canceled
From South America, they regretted the outcome and assured that there was a will to carry on the game from the start. In that regard, they stated that, despite the efforts made and the intention to dispute it at a neutral venue, it was not possible
to specify it.
Finally, CONMEBOL and AFA thanked Qatar for its willingness to host the match and also highlighted the efforts made by UEFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation to try to organize this cross between the champions of both continents.
