“We’re two-time champions”: South American soccer chief’s controversial Finalissima claim
Alejandro Domínguez, the president of CONMEBOL, has courted controversy in an interview on the cancellation of the Finalissima.
The president of CONMEBOL, South American soccer’s governing body, has stirred controversy in a radio interview given days after the collapse of Argentina’s planned Finalissima clash with Spain.
“Spain didn’t show”
“We’re two‑time champions - Spain didn’t show up‚” Alejandro Domínguez told the Argentinian outlet Radio La Red this week, in remarks that appeared to blame the Spanish and European federations - the RFEF and UEFA - for the match’s cancellation.
On Sunday, it was confirmed that this year’s edition of the Finalissima - which pits the South American title holders against the European champions - had been called off after no mutually acceptable date or venue could be found. South America had won the inaugural Finalissima, held in June 2022 at London’s Wembley Stadium, where the Argentinians beat Italy 3-0.
Domínguez’s comments conflict with reports that it was the Argentinian federation (AFA) and CONMEBOL that repeatedly rejected alternative venues and dates for a game that was originally set to be played on March 27 in Qatar, but had to be relocated because of the crisis in the Middle East.
Bernabéu blocked as Finalissima falls through
Once it became clear that Qatar’s Lusail Stadium could no longer host the Finalissima, the search for an alternative venue began almost immediately, with little margin for error.
Among the major stadiums considered, Madrid’s Estadio Bernabéu appeared to be the most viable option, and maintaining the original March 27 date seemed like the logical choice. However, the AFA is said to have pushed back on that plan and even insisted that, if the match were held in Madrid, a return leg would have to be staged at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.
After ruling out several venues and the original date, Argentina proposed moving the match to March 31 - an option UEFA flatly rejected due to its scheduled World Cup playoff fixtures. Ultimately, the final decision was to abandon the idea of staging the match altogether.
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