Mexico City /
“We arrived, got changed and went to the field without warming up,” recalls the former coach. thes Chivas, José Luis Real, are run over and accident Beira-Río de Porto Alegre Stadium, on the night of August 18, 2010 at the Return Final of the Copa Libertadores for him International. It was the second time that a Mexican team was installed in the prelude to the major title at the level of clubs of America.
The former technician from Chivas remember that passage just this Saturday, when the Final of the Libertadores between Palmeiras and Santos, both from Brazil, just like the rival who faced Chivas just over 10 years ago.
El Güero, one of five non-South American-born coaches who managed to reach a final in this competition, said in an interview with Media tempo that that game had to be played 10 minutes latee, as the bus that took them from the hotel to the stadium was stopped and diverted three times due to threats from Brazilian bars.
“In classic South American style… The game started 10 minutes late as our bus stopped every 10 minutes to divert it off the road. They said that there were threatening bars to keep the truck from arriving. We had forced stops and detours, we arrived late, we changed and went to the field without a normal warm-up and then we faced a great team surrounded by a spectacular scene ”.
“We thought they didn’t want us to show up. We’ve been communicating with people from the Federation (FMF) so they can get the Conmebol and that they saw that we were going to be late and that there was no sanction, ” recalls the Mexican coach in a conversation Media tempo.
Artificial turf: the downside of playing at Omnilife Stadium
The Sacred Flock came to that game with a hefty charge, as it played on in the Ida Final August 11, Inter won 2-1 from behind with goals from Guliano and Bolívar, in the newly built and inaugurated Omnilife Stadium, where they played on artificial turf for the first time in that entire tournament, something that the team did not like according to Real.
“It was the first Final in their new stadium and unfortunately for us we played it on artificial turf. It was not a disadvantage for Inter, it was a disadvantage for us. We had already played three games on natural grass. We got that Jorge Vergara he wanted to become champion in his stadium. It didn’t benefit us in the end ”, added Güero, who thought that if that first game had been played natural grass, at least they would have tied it up.
‘What I can assure you is that at least we don’t lose in it Guadalajara. It was different to arrive on a podium with a draw Porto Alegre arrive with a 2-1. I think we lost in Guadalajara and that was the main line of reasoning we had, ”he said.
The invading fan, the anger and the forgiveness of Güero Real
At the end of the Vuelta Final with a score of 3-2 favorable for Inter de Porto Alegre, the television broadcast went to the center of the field where several players from Chivas and the Brazilian team exchanged blows and slips.
However, the narrators’ versions pointed to the frustration of the Mexican players Jose Luis Real revealed that this fight was started by a Brazilian fan who took the field to hit Marco Fabian, A situation that started an outburst of anger that the local police had to control.
“At the end a fan comes in to hit Fabian and Omar Bravo lets him go and hits the fan who came in. All from Inter are going to protect the fan involved. So it looked like it was a fight between Inter and Chivas and it wasn’t.
“The police came in, but did not stop the person entering the field. They didn’t enter at all and protected themselves as always. Of course it was already in the locker room the police and they took me to that fan. This is the fan who got out and hit a player“What sanction do you want for him” and I told them to release him that I was not interested in a sanction. What he did couldn’t be remedied and he apologized to me and left, ”he said.