As had been widely expected, South American football governing body Conmebol has dismissed the appeal filed by Boca Juniors over the punishment received for the attack on River Plate players, upholding the decision to eject the team from this year’s Copa Libertadores.
As well as the expulsion, which means River progress to face Cruzeiro of Brazil in the quarter-finals, Conmebol handed down a variety of sanctions to the club after Thursday’s pepper spray incident. While stopping short of banning the Xeneize from competition in 2016, Boca’s Bombonera home will be closed for four continental fixtures.
The team’s away fans will also be prohibited from attending games, again for four fixtures should Boca qualify for next year’s edition. Club president Daniel Angelici, alongside attorney Eduardo Carlezzo, tried to overturn the sentence with an appeal, but Conmebol’s Appeals Court stood firm in rejecting the motion.
«The Conmebol Appeals Court… has resolved to dismiss the appeal petition from Boca Juniors against the disciplinary tribunal on May 16, 2015», the body confirmed in a short statement published on its website.
As a consequence, the three-paragraph missive explains, the entirety of the original sentence has been confirmed. Boca had been hopeful of obtaining an injunction which would at the very least delay kick-off in the River-Cruzeiro tie tomorrow, opening the possibility that the 45 minutes which were abandoned in Thursday’s game, with River 1-0 ahead of aggregate, could be rescheduled. But with the Conmebol verdict remaining untouched it is unlikely the fixture will see any modification.
Source:Buenos Aires Herald