In December 2018, the most eagerly anticipated final in the history of South American club football was marred by violence and chaotic scenes.
Fifteen months on from the tie that put the Copa Libertadores in football’s global eye is that undeniable passion by the continent’s supporters partly that was somewhat responsible to its upturn in interest from football fans around the world.
No one could anticipate the unsavoury scenes to have such a profound impact on its global audience. Both the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and the competition itself have made great strides in ensuring that much like its European equivalent, the Copa Libertadores develops and grows into becoming a global brand.
However, such a mission takes time. To build a competition that attracts global audiences, it must, in the very least, provide both quality and atmosphere that we are so used to seeing in ‘big’ European games. The atmosphere is not in short supply when it comes to football on the continent. Quality, on the other hand, is flourishing with every year that passes - mostly boosted by reinvested revenue from players sales to Europe and North America.
The average football fan outside of Latin America might not be able to tell you an enormous amount about South American club football. But it doesn’t take even the average fan to be aware of the rivalry of Argentina’s most decorated teams, Boca Juniors and River Plate.
In October 2018 when Boca secured their place in the Copa Libertadores final after beating Brazilian side Palmeiras, they would set-up what would arguably be the most significant tie in the competition’s history - The Superclásico Libertadores, Boca versus River.
With Boca hosting the 1st leg, the teams played out a 2-2 draw at La Bombonera and the final hung in the balance. Broadcasters across the globe scrambled to ensure they had the rights to televise the tie, a tie that would see the last two-legged final in the competition’s history.
US network Fox Sports reported record-breaking viewing figures in Latin America, their highest since 2010. However, the series of events that preceded the 2nd leg quite possibly changed the global interest in this competition forever.
As the Boca Juniors team bus made its way to El Monumental on the 24th of November, River fans outside the stadium attacked the bus. They threw missiles, smashed several windows and injured several players in the process.
It took CONMEBOL four hours until after the scheduled kick-off time to announce the game would be postponed and be rearranged for one day later. The consensus among many associated with Boca was that the confederation conformed to pressure from global broadcasters in a desperate attempt to show the fixture. With ongoing protests from Boca players and officials, CONMEBOL made a swift U-turn, deciding to postpone the fixture until further notice.
It took all of five days for the confederation to decide on the fate of the 2nd leg, in what will be remembered as one of the most bizarre yet economically-driven decisions in recent times: The game would take place some 6000 miles away at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.
CONMEBOL cited several official reasons behind this decision. The most interesting, however, was ‘the establishment in Spain of an Argentine community of more than 250,000 people, the largest abroad‘ - seeing this as an opportunity to spark interest in the competition away from Latin America.
A chaotic free game off the pitch, 72,000 were in attendance in Madrid to watch eventual winners River Plate crowned Libertadores champions. It took extra-time goals from Juan Fernando Quintero and Gonzalo ’Pity’ Martínez to secure a 3-1 victory. A game that undoubtedly will live long in the memory of both sets of supporters for very different reasons.
Fox Sports broke viewing records yet again for the match with 1.1 million viewers on US television. Other major broadcasters began to sit-up and take notice.
Within six months of the final, DAZN, Facebook and beIN SPORTS all snapped up rights to show the Libertadores. Three major deals worth over €305.5m per year. These deals were followed by an announcement from the British Broadcasting Channel stating it would show the 2019 final for the first time.
Furthermore, gaming giants EA Sports also agreed to add the Copa Libertadores and subsequent licensing to its FIFA series. Also, deals with Ford, Amstel, Betfair and Heineken were struck in that time.
As with most major competitions, one could expect a level of commercial interest before the 2018 final. The interesting take is the location of these new sponsors - Europe and North America. Moving the game to Madrid, along with the traction the scenes in Buenos Aires gathered on social media, put the 2018 final at the forefront of football’s eye.
It’s fair to assume the confederation have perhaps taken advantage of what they described themselves as an exceptional situation. If scenes of an unsavoury nature continue to take place - this madness will only fuel interest from other parts of the world.
In whatever light you choose to view the events of the 2018 final, there is no doubt the confederation themselves will want to continue to build on the legacy it has left behind. CONMEBOL saw an opportunity to elevate this great competition’s reputation, and then grasped that opportunity with both hands.
Thumbnail photo by Copa Libertadores official Twitter account