The AFA have released a statement following the cancellation of the Finalissima match between Argentina and Spain.
Argentina against Spain in the Finalissima was originally set to be played on March 27 in Qatar but due to the ongoing situation in the region, the match was set to be moved. It was announced on Sunday through UEFA that the match was cancelled, stating that they had proposed different resolutions for the situation.
Following the statement released by UEFA, CONMEBOL released the following statement about the match:
“CONMEBOL and the AFA consistently reiterated their desire to play the Finalissima on neutral ground and accepted the proposed venue after UEFA’s persistent insistence that the match be held in Madrid. Unfortunately, it was not possible to reach a final agreement on staging the match, as the requested alternative date could not be accommodated due to the limited time available.
“CONMEBOL and UEFA had agreed months ago to hold the Finalissima between the national teams of Argentina and Spain in Qatar, a country that has demonstrated its ability to organize events of this magnitude and a firm commitment to football.
“Once the possibility of playing in Qatar was ruled out, both confederations—as well as the Argentine and Spanish football associations—set out to find a solution that would satisfy all parties. In this context, it is clear that the proposal to hold a single match in Madrid would violate the principle of sporting fairness, as it is not a NEUTRAL VENUE.
“In this situation, on Saturday, March 14, the AFA received a proposal to hold the match at a neutral venue, Italy, on March 27. ARGENTINA ACCEPTED THE IDEA WITHOUT OBJECTIONS, except for the date, suggesting March 31.
“Unfortunately, UEFA announced that holding the match on the 31st—just four days later than the original proposal—was not possible, resulting in the cancellation of the Finalissima.
“CONMEBOL and the AFA deeply regret that, despite the efforts made and the willingness expressed to play this match on neutral ground from the outset, it has not been possible to do so.
“CONMEBOL and the AFA can only thank Qatar for its customary goodwill and UEFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for their efforts to make this momentous match a reality.”
I don’t see how the Finalissima was necessary before the World Cup, like three months to be exact…This game would have conveyed a lot of false impressions.. Let’s say Argentina ended up winning the game, expectations for the team would be through the roof post Finalissima, they would now be seen as the ultimate favorites for the majority of the pundits and tabloids. If say Argentina went onto lose this game, the team morale would suffer a big hit months before the World Cup, panic now sets in, the aura of invincibility is no more and the media continue to write off Scaloni and is team…The AFA should have had a backup plan for at least 3-4 teams they could choose from in an emergency situation. Argentina and Messi had already created history at Lusail Stadium (Qatar). As for Argentina, there was no need to play an important game like the Finalissima vs Spain at a venue where we saw Messi lifting the World Cup in 2022. The Finalissima should have been cancelled the moment the Club World Cup tournament was announced in the summer of 2025 (the summer it was supposed to play, one year before the 2026 World Cup).
So let’s say the Finalissima got the go ahead, why would Argentina and especially Messi want to play at the Bernabeu inside a stadium that would be pro Spain like 80/20 percentage in terms of supporters? Spain does not have a huge football following outside of their country so it seems as if UEFA was trying to use this opportunity to play the game at the Bernabeu in order to boost support for Spain. I mean, Spain barely had any supporters at the 2022 World Cup. Spain could have easily agreed to play the game in Rome or London or Estádio do Dragão (stadium) Porto, Portugal or Estádio da Luz (Stadium) Benfica, Portugal. Spain wasn’t going to have many traveling supporters at a neutral venue so it was best for them not to play (this is how I see it). Why should Messi then have to play at the Bernabeu just to get booed? We all know Messi’s history with Real Madrid. Moreover, why would Messi want to be a part of any pre Finalissima marketing for the Bernabeu that in the end will benefit Florentino Pérez the president of Real Madrid. Argentina is a different type of team, can adapt to any playing style, even with a full house at the Bernabeu, Scaloni Argentina would still win the game. Also Spain’s games against Colombia and Brazil on their own soil weren’t too impressive, they lost to Colombia and barely tied with an underwhelming Brazilian team at the Bernabeu from a fluke penalty decision. The only edge Spain might have over Argentina is maybe possession football.
With all this being said, why is everything pertaining to football so Eurocentric. The World Cup is being hosted in America/Latin America this summer. So Spain don’t think it would be best to play in North America or South America to get acclimatized to the region? I could see why Tapia offered the Estadio Monumental as an alternative. The Finalissima should have been rescheduled to play in either South America or North America, not Europe. There were plenty of alternative venues outside of Europe where UEFA/CONMEBOL could’ve agreed to. Maracanã Stadium (Brazil) or Vancouver, BC ( Canada ) or Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California (USA) or Mercedes-Benz Stadium (USA). Any of these would have been the right choice, but of course everything has to revolve around Europe.
Here are some alternative teams Argentina could ask to participate in emergency friendly games during the international break. Suriname, French Guiana and Guyana. Offer 2 of the 3 teams a small incentive package in order to participate in the games. French Guiana (France territory) participated at the Gold Cup several years ago, so they do have a national team. Suriname has a national team. Not so sure about Guyana. All these countries are from the South American continent, so the traveling won’t be as excessive . This would still be better than playing against local clubs or U20 youth teams. Give a few guys like Panichelli, Barco, Sensi, Garnacho, Nico Paz, Equi Fernández, Varela opportunities to build chemistry with the team. Scaloni could also use the games to try out fresh alternatives at the leftback and rightback positions.
Sounds like BS from the get go, oh we can play in Madrid lol
And why was 27 March in Rome not possible?
It was the original date.