River Plate president Jose Maria Aguilar believes his club is being used as a scapegoat for the troubles besetting Argentinian football.
Aguillar was speaking after River Plate were given a five-match home ban after rival factions of River supporters fought in the club’s social area which adjoins the River Plate stadium.
The president claimed the ban was arbitrary and said his club was the safest in Argentina.
“I think it’s an arbitrary measure, typical of this culture of which we are all part, where we need a scapegoat and we’ve found it in River,” Aguilar told reporters as he arrived at the club.
“River is the safest club in Argentina,” he said in his first public comments since the fight, adding that the problem did not happen during a match.
“There’s no reason for the closure (of the stadium), if it’s an internal River problem, then River will solve it internally.”
On Saturday, there was more trouble when River’s match away to Newell’s Old Boys in Rosario was abandoned minutes before the final whistle as rival fans hurled objects at each other.
