The National Professional Football Association (ANFP) is considering 2 alternative stadiums for the League Cup final between Coquimbo Unido and O'Higgins on Friday, October 16. The debris flow that hit Las Condes cast doubt on the availability of Claro Arena in San Carlos de Apoquindo.
According to Cooperativa Deportes, if Universidad Católica's venue is unavailable, the options are Santa Laura Stadium in Independencia and Fiscal de Talca Stadium in the Maule Region.
The ANFP will carry out a technical inspection of Claro Arena on Tuesday, October 13, and decide on the venue then. ADN Deportes added a detail: the stadium currently houses the Disaster Risk Management Committee (Cogrid), which is coordinating the emergency response in the municipality.
The debris flow, which occurred on Thursday, has already forced the postponement of the match between UC and Audax Italiano, scheduled for this Saturday in San Carlos de Apoquindo. Emergency work is complicating access to the venue.
The presidential delegate for the Metropolitan Region, Germán Codina, did not resolve the uncertainty. "I can't give you any guarantees. We would love for conditions to be suitable for holding the match, but it depends a great deal on how we manage to restore this part of the city," he told ADN.
The former mayor of Puente Alto described the situation in the affected area: "We have heavy trucks moving through, which makes it difficult to have more people on foot present."
The final has its own history of postponements. The clash between the Pirates and the Sky Blues was due to be played in mid-July, but the storm that battered the central region forced it to be postponed. The ANFP tried to move it to Valparaíso, but the authorities did not grant permission, so it chose Claro Arena.
Much more is at stake than the trophy for the tournament's first edition. The champion will take the Chile 3 berth in the 2027 Copa Libertadores and play in the Chilean Super Cup next year. The venue will be confirmed after the inspection on Tuesday the 13th.
