The preview of the final of the Clausura tournament between Estudiantes and Racing was marked by a climate of high tension in the stands of the Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero. Pincha fans led chants against Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia, the president of the AFA, which quickly died down as the volume of the background music in the stadium increased.
As the red-haired fans began to fill one of the areas of the stadium, insults could be heard from the stands directed at the head of the Argentine Football Association. The organization’s reaction was immediate: the noise in the stadium was noticeably increased to drown out the chants that caused discomfort and murmuring among the Estudiantes fans.
Public anger is not an isolated incident. The relationship between the Albirroja leadership and the AFA is currently experiencing one of its most tense moments and in recent weeks the conflict has worsened with public exchanges between Pablo Toviggino and Estudiantes president Juan Sebastián Verón.
Adding to this scenario was the disciplinary sanction imposed on Verón following the so-called “Gateway”, which resulted in a six-month ban and the former footballer’s subsequent decision to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) to try to overturn the verdict.
About The Author
