Copa Libertadores: Meeting could decide fate of postponed final between Boca Juniors and River Plate

A disciplinary committee could disqualify River, force the second leg to be played behind closed doors, or move the match

The fate of the postponed Copa Libertadores final between bitter Argentine rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate could be decided at a meeting on Tuesday.

Conmebol, the governing body of South American football, opened disciplinary proceedings against River after the club’s fans attacked the Boca team bus before the second leg of the final on Saturday.

Several of Boca’s players were injured and two were taken to hospital when missiles hurled by River supporters smashed the windows of the bus and tear gas, deployed by police to disperse the fans, inadvertently seeped in and affected those on board.

The match was subsequently postponed on Saturday to Sunday, and then on Sunday postponed indefinitely because Boca were in no fit state to play.

Conmebol announced in a social media post on Tuesday that River have 24 hours to present their defence at the hearing in Luque, Paraguay. Later in the day, confederation executives will also gather to decide the fate of the second leg.

The disciplinary committee will decide whether to disqualify River, force the second leg to be played behind closed doors, or transfer the match to a neutral stadium. The presidents of Boca and River will be involved in the meeting.

Boca have requested that Conmebol disqualify River as a result of the incident and award them the title; the first leg at their La Bombonera stadium earlier this month ended 2-2.

The second leg was postponed amid violent scenes outside River's stadium (Reuters)

Buenos Aires mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta has blamed River hooligans for the attack, claiming that their actions were revenge for a police raid on the house of a leader of the Barra Brava – a powerful and violent wing of the club’s support – the day before.

Police confiscated 10 million pesos (£207,285) in the raid as well as 300 tickets for the final; the Barra Brava reportedly derive significant income from selling tickets to River matches on the black market.

“The problem is the Barra Brava - a mafia who have been embedded in football for more than 50 years,” Larreta said.

“They are responsible for these incidents. This is directly related to the episode the day before. So 300 people were not allowed in and they were the principle protagonists of everything that happened.”

In an unexpected twist, the city government of Genoa has written to both clubs offering to host the second leg of the final, in recognition of the role immigrants from the city played in forming both Argentine clubs.

River’s colours are believed to be red and white because they are the same as Genoa’s flag, while Boca are nicknamed the “Xeneizes” or “Genoese” in the local dialect.

“We would be very proud to host important clubs like Boca and River in our city by welcoming them in what, in some ways, is also their first home,” Genoa’s city sports director Stefano Anzalone said.