The president of Independiente Santa Fe does not want to change the venue for the match against River: "I don't see the reason"

After its suspension, Independiente Santa Fe is already thinking about rescheduling the match against River for the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana. In this context, while waiting for definitions from CONMEBOL, the president of the Colombian club, Eduardo Méndez, stated his position: he does not consider the possibility of moving the match outside Bogotá.

The Millonario was scheduled to visit the Colombian team this Wednesday at 21:30 (Argentina time; 19:30 local time) for the first leg of the series, but the South American entity decided to suspend the match following the strong earthquake of magnitude 7.4 that shook various areas of Colombia. The organization explained that the measure aimed to preserve safety and respect the context the country is going through.

In light of this situation, Méndez supported the decision of the South American entity and explained that Santa Fe was awaiting its determination. "We were waiting for CONMEBOL to make a statement. It is the highest authority and we had to accept what they decided", he stated in an interview with TyC Sports. However, the official was emphatic when asked about the possibility of changing the venue for the match. "There is no reason to leave the capital. The city was not affected by that disaster, but a large part of the country is hurting today. We must be very supportive of our fellow countrymen", he maintained.

The president of "Los Cardenales" explained that the authorities had already inspected the stadium and ruled out any damage that would prevent its use. "Although the tremor was felt, we were not affected. Yesterday the authorities gave the green light that the stadium had not suffered any alterations and everything is normal in the city and work is ongoing". In that sense, he insisted: "I see no reason why the match cannot be played here".

For the moment, CONMEBOL has not officially announced when the first leg will be played, although it has been reported that it could take place on Wednesday, August 19, and that the return match at the Monumental would be a week later. Beyond the speculations about the rescheduling of the series, the uncertainty creates logistical complications for both teams, so Méndez hopes that the organization will define the new schedule as soon as possible. “I believe that CONMEBOL, due to everything that needs to be done - logistics, travel, hotels, and everything else - must make a statement today,” Méndez affirmed.

While awaiting confirmations, the president assured that the squad's motivation to face Eduardo Coudet's team remains intact. "It is a challenge and facing a big team is good. The team is focused, we want the date to arrive. We wanted it to be tomorrow, but unfortunately, it could not happen", he commented.