Copa Libertadores final delayed after River Plate fans attack Boca Juniors team bus
Several Boca Juniors players were injured.
The second leg of the Copa Libertadores Final between local rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate has been delayed after an attack on Boca’s team bus injured several of the team’s players.
It all stems from this as Boca's bus got pelted arriving at the stadium and the windows were smashed [Via @TNTSportsLA]
— Peter Coates (@golazoargentino) November 24, 2018
pic.twitter.com/QRYAMpVlks
Police attempted to escort the bus past a large group of River supporters on a busy street en route to River’s stadium, El Monumental, when the fans started throwing objects at the bus. The windows were broken and, in addition to injures suffered from shattered glass, players were exposed to tear gas and pepper spray after police attempted to disperse the crowd, reportedly making several Boca players sick.
The match was scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. ET, but was delayed several times. Bizarrely, CONMEBOL — the South American confederation that runs Copa Libertadores — has declared Boca’s players fit to play.
CONMEBOL's medical team have released a statement saying there is no reason for the game to be suspended, since they cannot confirm injuries suffered in the corneas of two Boca players.
— Daniel Edwards (@DanEdwardsGoal) November 24, 2018
The confederation’s doctors were unable to confirm said injuries because the players were transported to a hospital.
At the time of publishing, the match was scheduled to kick off at 5:30 p.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. local time. However, several start times have been declared, then pushed back. The series is tied 2-2 after the first leg.