A few hours after the departure of the Copa Libertadores final return match on Sunday, there is still a big question mark behind the Argentine football classic between River Plate and Boca Juniors. After the violent attacks of River Plate fans on the Boca bus, the city council of Buenos Aires closed the Estadio Monumental for the time being.

"An excess of spectators and obstruction of the escape routes," was the official reason for the decision. The lock of the arena, however, can be canceled at short notice by paying the fine in unpublished height. Logistical problems with the renewed stadium admission of the approximately 65,000 fans who had waited in vain for the kickoff on Saturday, however, appear inevitable in any case.

photo gallery


10 pictures

Copa Libertadores: street fight instead of football

On Saturday, just two hours before the duel of arch-rivals from Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, near the stadium's entrance, the Boca team bus was hit with stones, bottles and other items. It broke windows and suffered Captain Pablo Perez and junior player Gonzalo Lamardo by splinters eye injuries. The tear gas used by the police also caused nausea and other complaints among other players.

In the vicinity of the stadium, before the scheduled kick-off of the decisive match for the title in the South American counterpart to the European Champions League, River Plate fans, who wanted to gain access to the arena without tickets, fought street battles with the police. In total, at least 56 people were temporarily arrested.