TArgentine Football Association (AFA) president Claudio Tapia on Thursday ruled out the possibility of the Finalissima being played at the Santiago Bernabéu, saying: “Spain wants the Finalissima to be played in Spain and I also want it to be played at the Monumental.”
Tapia mentioned the possibility of the match being played in Buenos Aires after Real Madrid’s stadium was floated as a new option for the match between defending European Championship and Copa America champions Spain and Argentina on March 27, after the Middle East war cast doubt on the match being held at the original venue, Qatar’s Lusail Stadium.
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The AFA president made the remarks to the media after appearing in an Argentine court where the AFA is being investigated for illegally failing to pay pension contributions and other taxes.
“We have been summoned because we have complied with the judge’s request. Spain wants the Finalissima to be held in Spain and I want it to be held in Monumental, so we will get to work,” he said as he left the courtroom.According to club sources, Real Madrid are absolutely keen to stage the match after questions have been raised about the match following the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The match has been in limbo ever since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, and Tehran responded with bombing raids on neighboring countries, including Qatar, with whether it will be played at the planned venue or at another venue accepted by Conmebol, UEFA and both teams.
Shortly after the start of the war, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced the postponement of all tournaments and competitions until further notice due to instability in the region, but did not mention the match between Spain and Argentina.
Last Monday, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Rafael Lousan, reported that a decision on the finalisima issue should be taken within the next 48 hours.
“We are waiting for a decision to be made within the next 48 hours. It will be very soon because time is running out. For us, these two games are very important in our preparations for the World Cup. Within a very short period of time we will be informed of our response. We are all involved in finding a final solution,” he said.
He added: “We have to show solidarity with the countries. We have very direct relationships with them: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc. Imagine for 24 hours what problems they are suffering from. We have been working since last Saturday when this situation started, monitoring various teams to follow this situation step by step.”
