Finally, River will not travel to Colombia. The CONMEBOLofficially suspended the match betweenIndependiente Santa Feand the Millionaire, corresponding to the first leg of the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana, due to the emergency situation caused by the strong earthquake that shook the country this Monday. The match, which was scheduled for this Wednesday at 21:30 Argentina time at the El Campín stadium in Bogotá, will have a new date that has not yet been defined.
The decision was made after the quake, with a magnitude of 7.4, affected various regions of Colombia and caused damage and casualties. In light of this scenario, the South American organization prioritized safety and decided to suspend the international commitments scheduled in Colombian territory.
Through a statement, CONMEBOL expressed its solidarity with the victims and explained the reasons for the measure: "In light of this exceptional situation, and to preserve the safety of all, and respect for the victims, the matches are temporarily suspended".
Thus, both the match between Santa Fe and River and the match between Deportes Tolima and Independiente del Valle, corresponding to the first leg of the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores and scheduled for this Tuesday, have been postponed.
The CONMEBOL statement regarding the suspension of Independiente Santa Fe - River and Deportes Tolima - Independiente del Valle
"More information about the rescheduling will be sent shortly", concluded CONMEBOL in its statement, which also reiterated its solidarity and support for all those affected.
The suspension now requires reorganizing the calendar for the series between River and Santa Fe. The return match was scheduled for Wednesday, August 19 at the Monumental, so it will also need to be modified. One of the alternatives that appears is to move the first match to the 19th and play the return match a week later, although there is still no official confirmation. It also remains to be determined if "The Cardinals" will be able to keep the home advantage in Bogotá when the match is rescheduled.
