Beyond The Pitch - River Plate Crisis

Anto is joined by Argentine freelance journalist and commentator Joel Richards who was on hand for the historic and tragic events at the Monumental today for the relegation of River Plate, a first in the 110 year history of the club. We have a chat about the relegation itself as well as the key moments in the game and the very dangerous aftermath as both the players did not leave the stadium and there were large numbers of arrests and injuries as authorities asserted their control of the proceedings. We also have an early first look at what could happen to River Plate next, the effect on the Lamela transfer and a discussion on how supporter violence in Argentina seems to be on the rise and whether it can actually be controlled or changed given how ingrained the supporter culture is on the business of the game itself. The crisis at River Plate is such a microcosm of the Argentine game in many ways and could have some far ranging implications. The Monumental is where the Copa America Final will be played and who exactly pays for the damage given that the club finds itself in desperate financial straits. We also consider whether this game should have been played behind closed doors given the events in the first leg when masked supporters rushed the pitch to influence the game.

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