The former player Albiceleste questioned Bernabéu's option and claimed to respect the neutrality of the regulations.
The former soccer player remarked that Europe has multiple stadiums capable of hosting the event without breaking the principle of neutrality. “If the problem is only the scenario and there is a regulation that says that neutrality must persist. In Europe, with the modernity they gave to stadiums, you have millions of venues to choose from,
Twelve days before the scheduled date for the Final between Argentina and Spain, uncertainty about the venue of the match continues. After weeks of talks between UEFA, CONMEBOL, AFA and the Spanish Football Federation, the only thing confirmed is that the match will no longer be played at the Lusail stadium in Qatar, as originally scheduled
.In the midst of the lack of agreement, the possibility of moving the match to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid transcended from Europe. The information, leaked to Spanish media, generated surprise in South America and caught the leaders off guard, who would not have been
consulted beforehand about this alternative.
The proposal also raised questions about a key point in the tournament regulations, since the Final, which pits the champion of the Copa América against the winner of the European Championship, must be played in a
neutral venue.In this context, Sergio Goycochea spoke out harshly on the subject. The former goalkeeper of the Argentine National Team criticized the position of the European body and argued that insistence on Madrid could jeopardize the holding of the match. “I get the feeling that if UEFA comes with a single position, with no intention of negotiating, it doesn't want the game to be played,” he said in his program “Selection” on dSports Radio.
In addition, he rejected versions that attribute to Argentina an alleged refusal to play in Madrid out of fear of sports. “Don't lie to me that it's a situation to come to terms with. I don't want to go to Madrid to play because my spirit is broken, it's not out of fear, because in the end the Bernabéu doesn't decide a damn thing about the game, it's a matter of regulation,”
he said.Along these lines, Goycochea defended the position of the South American authorities in the negotiation. “CONMEBOL and AFA are not four cups, we have to debate,” he said, while asking to support Chiqui Tapia and Alejandro Domínguez and respect the tournament rules
.Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and the organization will have to define in the coming days where, and possibly when, the Final between Albiceleste and La Roja will finally be held.
