Legal advisor to the presidency downplays importance of meeting held by Conmebol
Fred Huber
From GLOBOESPORTE.COM
In Potosí, Bolivia, some athletes suffered from the effects of altitude. Flamengo's board's fight against holding matches at altitudes above 2.750 meters promises to have many more chapters. After the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) announced its support for Bolivia's stance on holding matches at altitude, contrary to FIFA's ban, the club is considering filing an appeal with the organization's Court of Arbitration in Switzerland.
"Flamengo will prepare a lawsuit for them to judge. We have a decision based on a FIFA medical report. We're not nitpicking, but we'll see this through to the end. It would be very sad if they persisted with this. They say they've always played at this altitude, but now there's a thorough study that says players are at risk in these conditions. The club's argument is the same as FIFA's, and it should be observed in all competitions," says Pedro Trengrouse, Flamengo's legal advisor.
Trengrouse downplayed the importance of the CONMEBOL meeting. He said the meeting was merely a political act, noting that some of the officials present are representatives of FIFA (which has restricted matches at high altitudes).
"This meeting wasn't about the Libertadores, but rather the Qualifiers. They gathered for a political rally, to exert pressure. Today, they couldn't hold the games they want in Bolivia. Ricardo Teixeira (president of the CBF), Nicolás Leoz (president of CONMEBOL), and Julio Grondona (president of the AFA) are FIFA representatives and approved this restriction. It seems like they're playing to the gallery, or even a way to appease these countries," he says.
The red-black board had already sent a request to the CBF for the entity to defend the decision taken by FIFA at Conmebol, but, according to Trengrouse, no action has been taken so far.
"The club cannot approach CONMEBOL directly; it must first approach the CBF. President Márcio Braga has already submitted this restriction request, but the CBF has not yet responded," he states.
Flamengo is in Group 4 of the Libertadores and has yet to confirm a high-altitude match. This will happen if Cienciano-PER eliminates Wanderers-URU in the knockout stage of the competition. The Peruvians play their home games in Cuzco, at 3.400 meters above sea level.