Conmebol has approved the football stadium in the Bolivian city of El Alto, located 4,083 meters above sea level, where the local Always Ready team will host Peruvian Sporting Cristal in the Copa Libertadores on 20 FEBRUARY.
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“ It’s a historic day for the city of El Alto “, welcomed the president of Always Ready, Andrés Costa, during a press conference in the municipal stadium of El Alto, the highest in Bolivia in front of that of Potosi (3,900 m).
Officials from the South American confederation inspected on Monday January 29 the Villa Ingenio stadium, inaugurated in 2017 and with a capacity of 25,000 spectators, before giving the green light for it to host this second round match of the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the European Champions League.
In 2007, FIFA banned international matches above 2,500 meters above sea level.
Founded in 1933, the Always Ready club returned to the Bolivian top division in 2019 for the first time in 28 years, and is participating in the Copa Libertadores for the fourth time in its history. A controversy over matches at altitude regularly arises in South America. It pits the Andean countries, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, proud of their rugged topography, against the great South American football nations, Brazil and Argentina, who consider themselves disadvantaged by the lack of oxygen compared to natives.
In 2007, Fifa banned international matches above 2,500 meters above sea level, in order to preserve the health of players. Passionate about football, the Bolivian president at the time Evo Morales had threatened to take the matter to the UN to “ discrimination “.
The sports authorities of the Andean countries then assured that it was much more dangerous to play in high heat at sea level than at altitude, pointing to the deaths of players on the field in Europe, in particular. Fifa finally reversed its decision in 2008.
The El Alto stadium, however, is not the highest in South America. The title goes to the Daniel Alcides Carrion stadium, located at 4,378 meters above sea level in Cerro de Pasco, in central Peru.
With AFP