TO Through a brief statement issued late yesterday afternoon, the management of the Professional Leagues of the National Association of Professional Football (ANFP) reported a decision that seemed inevitable and that was rumored throughout the day.
“Due to the weather situation, which keeps the playing field of the Fiscal Antonio Ríspoli Díaz stadium covered under a dense layer of snow, the match between Presidente Ibáñez and Huachipato for the 2024 Chile Cup is suspended,” published the rector of Chilean football.
It was the definitive confirmation to lower the thumb at the possibility of seeing today the monarch of regional football challenging none other than the current Chilean champion.
The match, which is part of the South Zone of the Chile Cup and had 2 thousand tickets sold until yesterday (capacity of 3,200 people) will be rescheduled for a date to be confirmed.
POSTURE OF
HUACHIPATO
Already during the inspection carried out early in the morning on the Prosecutor’s synthetic turf, voices were raised against the possibility of playing, with the president of Huachipato, Victorino Cerda, raising the flag of suspension under the argument of the risk posed by the snowy field. and/or frost for the physical integrity of its players.
Of course, during the afternoon the “steelers” clarified their position through a statement. “Due to the weather conditions observed in Punta Arenas, the flight that our club was supposed to board from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas has been canceled by the airline.”
“As a result of this force majeure situation, we have had to suspend our flight from Talcahuano to Puerto Montt and modify the itinerary and logistics of the trip, so this afternoon (Friday) we will travel by air to Santiago to try to travel tomorrow (today) with destination to Punta Arenas…”, they complemented from Talcahuano, emphasizing that they were willing to “exhaust all avenues” to fulfill the commitment.
SUSPENSION
From the Regional Football Association, meanwhile, they opened themselves to the possibility of playing and for this the option was to clear the – at that height – abundant snow accumulated on the field. However, the weather situation did not improve in the following hours and the task began to be titanic.
This is how the president of the Regional Football Association explained the final decision, ratifying the suspension of the commitment. “At the last minute we went to the field, six thirty in the afternoon, but the situation was unviable and there was no guarantee that it would be in good condition,” the leader said last night.
He added that “we had hired 12 people to clear the snow and the presidential delegation managed tools from the Army, but it was a titanic job, a very large layer of snow.”
IN TALCAHUANO?
At the moment there is no date to reschedule the commitment. The location of Presidente Ibáñez continues to be an option, despite the fact that times are pressing, and the idea is to maintain it, although it will depend on the ANFP.
On the other hand, the president of Huachipato would have offered the possibility of playing the commitment with Ibáñez in Talcahuano and sharing the proceeds or a percentage of it.
“It was a rather informal conversation, nothing concrete. The rescheduling will only be seen starting Monday,” commented Oyarzo, lamenting the suspension and the subsequent economic damage it entailed, since it had a production cost – imponderables involved – that was already reaching 10 million pesos.
Thus, while Ibáñez and the Regional are waiting for the aforementioned new date for the single match between oranges and “steelers”, the authorities who arrived in Punta Arenas to witness the match – among them Pablo Milad (president of the ANFP) and Justo Alvarez (Anfa’s boss) – return to Santiago today. At least, they return with the sensations of having experienced “in situ” what it means to live and play sports in Magallanes.
