The Football Security Committee (COSEF) has decided to close the Centenario Alta stand of River Plate’s Monumental stadium, after discovering irregularities in ticket allocation for the sector ahead of Sunday’s blockbuster derby against Boca Juniors.
A statement from the organisation explained that the club’s decision to make ‘Superclasico’ tickets in the stand available for general sale was the reason behind the closing.
«The measure was determined due to the sporting entity’s decision to sell 1710 tickets in that sector of the stadium, in open contradiction of the COSEF’s orders of the previous week, where they had been instructed to allocate those tickets through an exchange system,» the Committee informed.
The tickets were intended to be shared without further charge amongst members of the club, who pay monthly dues to River. By making the passes available for sale, the club contravened the agreement with COSEF to open the stand normally reserved for visiting fans, who are currently prohibited from attending matches at all levels of Argentine football.
The tickets were made available at $350 pesos and quickly sold out, but buyers will now have to be refunded for their purchases by the club.
The security heads also revealed that in their meeting in the coming week, «possible punishments for the club for having disobeyed security orders will be discussed.»
Source: Buenos Aires Herald