The investigation by CONMEBOL into the incidents that occurred during the match between Independiente and Universidad de Chile remains open, and in the midst of this context, Néstor Grindettirevealed that he and his family have been targeted with threats.
"It's a level of madness we're reaching that can't be justified in any way. I myself have received many threats, my family has received threats. What we see is that they're coming from the neighboring country," he stated in an interview with TyC Sports.
Despite the tone of concern, the president of Rojo sought to convey a message of calm so that the episodes of violence do not escalate beyond the sporting context: "We all need to take it down a notch. It can't be that because of a soccer match we reach such a situation, that just for being Chilean or Argentine, you get shot at. We all need to calm down and not turn this into an international conflict."
Regarding the club's future in the tournament, Grindetti insisted that the team must continue in the competition, separating the sporting aspect from the violent acts.
Grindetti pidió que Independiente siga en la Sudamericana
"We need to let CONMEBOL give its opinion on the sporting matter now, let the justice system keep looking for the vandals, put them in jail, and we'll kick them out of the club. Look ahead, learn from this, and correct what needs to be corrected. Independiente must advance, clearly," he said.
Pipo Gorosito and the perspective of the third party involved
Alianza Lima's coach, Néstor Gorosito, also addressed the situation, since his team is waiting in the quarterfinals for CONMEBOL's decision to find out whether they will face Independiente, Universidad de Chile, or advance directly to the semifinals if both are disqualified.
"We're facing uncertainty. It's difficult because of the scheduling, because of the anxiety of studying the opponent even though we know both teams well, but to focus specifically on that match," he explained.
El Alianza Lima de Gorosito sigue esperando rival
The coach also regretted the possibility of playing without spectators and expressed a sincere wish regarding the outcome of the tie: "We're uneasy about which team will advance and whether the match will be played behind closed doors. Alianza's fans aren't to blame for not being able to attend, we have nothing to do with it."
"God willing, we'll be placed directly into the semifinals. If we advance directly to the semis, even better. It would be very nice to tell you 'for me, it would be great to play,' but I'm not going to lie to you," he concluded.
