River Plate Refuse to Play Copa Libertadores Final vs. Boca Juniors in Madrid

There has been yet another twist in the Copa Libertadores final saga, as River Plate have announced they will not travel to Madrid to face rivals Boca Juniors at the Santiago Bernabeu in the second leg.

As reported by Nicholas Mendola of NBC Sports, River Plate slammed the Argentinian football association in a press release for moving the fixture abroad: "The Argentine Football Association (AFA) can not and should not allow a handful of violent ones to impede the development of the Superclasico in our country."

The match was scheduled to be played at River Plate's Monumental stadium on November 24 but was postponed and then suspended after several Boca players were injured on the team bus during violence ahead of the game. Injuries were caused by smashed windows, while tear gas also made its way into the vehicle, with players "appearing groggy and disorientated," per the Independent.

On Thursday, South American football governing body CONMEBOL announced the contest had been rescheduled for December 9 and moved to Europe.

That decision was widely criticised by the likes of Rob Harris of the Associated Press:

Paris Saint-Germain's Dani Alves also voiced his criticism, per sportswriter Juan G. Arango:

According to Mendola, River Plate argued the move "distorts the competition" and affect their chances of winning. Boca Juniors hosted the first leg, which finished 2-2.

Per Argentinian football expert Peter Coates, the club stated the security issues that allowed the assault on the team bus to happen were not their responsibility:

The Copa Libertadores champion is scheduled to take part in the FIFA Club World Cup, which kicks off on December 12.