The plan in Mendoza to avoid clashes in Godoy Cruz-Colo Colo for the Libertadores: capsule for fans and double police

Godoy Cruz will return to the Copa Libertadores this Thursday. It’s a real revolution for the Tomba fans, also thrilled by the good performance of their team, leader of the Professional League Cup after six games. The draw meant that, in Qualifying Phase 2, the rival would be Chilean Colo Colo, a sort of ‘classic’ given the proximity of the two clubs, separated by the Andes.

The first leg scheduled for this Thursday at 9.30pm at the Malvinas Argentinas stadium in Mendoza has aroused a lot of interest. Especially the Chilean fans, who cannot have closer rivals for an international competition of this caliber.

This, however, has generated concern about the number of fans who will cross the borders: It is expected that there will be more than 15 thousand Chileans.

Mendoza’s Ministry of Security has organized an operation to encapsulate buses with Colo Colo fans and will double security around the stadium, with around 950 police officers.

La Garra Blanca, the most violent faction of the Colo Colo bar, damaged a memorial monument honoring the desaparecidos of the Pinochet dictatorship, during the final of the Chilean Super Cup. The match was suspended.

The security of the Libertadores meeting is a concern of the management of the Ministry of Security of Mendoza. For two weeks we have been collaborating with the Gendarmerie, the Chilean investigative police and the Chilean consulate.

“The information we have is that around 15 groups of the barra brava would have arrived, the bosses would have arrived by car. They would leave Santiago at night and arrive on Thursday at dawn in Mendoza”he declared to the local press, Hernan Amatdirector of Community Relations of Mendoza.

As of this Wednesday afternoon, 10 buses have passed by Chilean Colo Colo fans. Those who travel by bus and do not have a reserved bed space will be directed to the Luján distillery beach, from where they will be monitored until the stadium.

The operation involves a search at the mountain pass, the Crsto Redentor Los Libertadores pass. From there, the fans travel encapsulated in police phones and motorcycles, from Uspallata to the entrance of the YPF distillery in Luján de Cuyo, 20 kilometers from the stadium.

In the first buses that arrived in Mendoza and in the private vehicles in which the fans were traveling, the Mendoza Police found cocaine, marijuana, facas and other weapons. Only one fan was expelled because he had an arrest warrant and could not enter.

Of the 900 police officers assigned to the match, around 800 will be at the stadium and 150 in the surrounding streets.

The titles of Godoy Cruz

In the press conference, Godoy Cruz’s coach, Daniel “Gato” Oldrá, spoke about the pressure that this event brings: “The Copa Libertadores is not easy, we haven’t played this tournament for 5 years and coming back is very important for this institution. “The growth of the club and the fans. I hope we can continue to live up to it, we have to be smart.”

Oldrá confirmed the ownership of goalscorer Tomás Badaloni (he scored the winning goal against Racing) and hinted at the possible return of the cellar team’s figure, Hernán López Muñoz, returning from injury.

López Muñoz, great-nephew of Diego Armando Maradona, retired injured in the third-round win against Lanús. The midfielder suffered a grade 2 hamstring injury in his right leg and returned to training with the team this week.

“If all conditions are met, Hernán will start from the beginning,” Oldrá said. And he clarified that, in any case, “we will resolve the matter with the doctor, given that he had a couple of days left to complete the recovery expected at the beginning”.

If López Muñoz were confirmed, Tomba’s lineup would be: with Franco Petroli, Martín Luciano, Pier Barrios, Federico Rasmussen and Manuel Guillén; Juan Andrada, Roberto Fernández and Hernán López Muñoz; Juan Bautista Cejas, Tomás Conechny and Tomás Badaloni.

Colo Colo with Arturo Vidal

The Chilean team arrived this Wednesday at 5pm at El Plumerillo airport, in the city of Mendoza. And by bus he went to the Diplomatic hotel, in via Belgrano.

Before leaving, the coach of Colo Colo, the Argentine Jorge Almirón (former coach of Boca Juniors), recognized the beautiful gift from rival Godoy Cruz, a team he knows because he also coached him in 2013.

“I don’t see that we are favourites. They are having an excellent championship, they are a very physical team, they understand each other very well,” said Almirón.

Although the Caciques coach has not confirmed the team, it is expected that Arturo Vidal will be one of the starters.

Regarding the great figure of Chilean football, Gato Oldrá said: “We know that he is a great player, he grew up in European football and has an edge. We will try to complicate Vidal and the whole team, which has a great coach like Almirón. “

The Chilean team would take the field with the following lineup: Brayan Cortés, Óscar Opazo, Alan Saldivia, Maximiliano Falcón and Erick Wiemberg; Vidal, Esteban Pávez and Gil; Cristián Zavala, Damián Pizarro and Palacios.