The eight Venezuelan teams that qualified for CONMEBOL competitions could be affected by the capture of the narco dictator
In parallel, the Venezuelan teams in the Sudamericana will begin their participation in the national phase at the beginning of March. In this stage, the four qualified teams will face each other in single-elimination matches in Venezuela, so there wouldn't be any issues with home venues. The problem, if the country's situation doesn't change, would only arise in the group stage that begins in April.
The arrest of Nicolás Maduro by the United States had an immediate global impact and opened a scenario of uncertainty in Venezuela that also reaches sports. The first consequences have already become visible with the indefinite suspension of the baseball league, while soccer is watching closely what will happen with the clubs that must compete in the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana.
Although the Venezuelan domestic tournament is currently on break, the current context makes it unlikely that activity will resume on January 30, as planned. In that context, attention is focused on the eight teams that qualified for continental competitions: Universidad Central, Deportivo La Guaira, Carabobo, and Deportivo Táchira in the Libertadores; Puerto Cabello, Monagas, Caracas, and Metropolitanos in the Sudamericana.
For the moment, the exclusion of the clubs isn't being considered, but the possibility that they will lose home-field advantage is emerging strongly. The first sensitive case is Deportivo Táchira, which must face The Strongest in the first phase of the Libertadores, with the second leg scheduled for February 10 in Venezuela. If the political situation doesn't stabilize, CONMEBOL could order the match to be moved to another country.
The same thing could happen later in Phase 2, a stage in which Carabobo would make its home debut on February 17 against Huachipato. Meanwhile, La Guaira and Universidad Central, which will enter directly into the group stage of the Libertadores in April, are the ones that have the best chances of keeping their home status. The assessment of the context will be carried out on the fly, taking into account security and logistics.
Until before this episode, CONMEBOL had kept Venezuelan venues despite the travel difficulties faced by the opponents. However, the abrupt change in the scenario could force a different decision to guarantee the organization of the matches.
The most recent precedent for a change of venue dates back to 2021, when Colombian clubs had to play in Paraguay due to the social unrest and violence in their country. At that time, River, Argentinos Juniors, and Lanús played their continental matches in Asunción.
With that precedent, it wouldn't be surprising for Venezuelan teams to have to face a similar situation. For now, CONMEBOL hasn't made an official decision, but the participating clubs are closely following how events unfold, aware that they might visit Venezuela's representatives at neutral venues.
