Atlético Nacional will face the Peruvian club Melgar this Thursday for the second day of Group H of the Copa Libertadores. However, the match will take place at the Roberto Meléndez Metropolitan Stadium in Barranquilla, behind closed doors, due to the riots that occurred last Sunday, before the match against América by the League, which left 89 injured in a stadium grandstand. Atanasio Girardot in Medellin.
Despite these drawbacks, the Colombian team arrives with spirit and motivation, after having achieved a 1-2 victory in Argentina against Patronato in their debut in the continental competition, from which they emerged champions in 1989 and 2016.
Currently, Verde de la Montaña ranks eighth in the Colombian Soccer League with 18 points and two games pending.
For the match in Barranquilla, Atlético Nacional will have the return of goalkeeper Kevin Mier, who had injured his ankle and had given his place to his colleague Harlen Castillo.
«Melgar is very competitive and it will not be easy, as it was not our first game. We know that by competing and taking our idea of the game we are going to get the most out of it, “ Mier stated.
Brazilian striker Francisco Da Costa, defender Sergio Mosquera, midfielder Jarlan Barrera and winger Brahian Palacios continue to recover from physical ailments, while the call-up of midfielder Jhon Duque and the inclusion of winger Edier Ocampo, who was key, are in doubt in the comeback against Patronato, but suffered a sprained ankle.
For his part, Melgar arrives in Colombia strengthened by having achieved his first win of the year, beating Cienciano 1-0 in the southern classic. After a lackluster start to the season, the Peruvian team is in 17th place with just 7 points in the local tournament. Likewise, he arrives in Barranquilla, with the desire to recover the two points he missed during his visit to Arequipa against Olimpia from Paraguay, with whom he drew 1-1 in his debut in the Copa Libertadores.
On the other hand, the decision of the Mayor’s Office of Medellín not to lease the Atanasio Girardot stadium to Atlético Nacional for the Copa Libertadores match against Melgar from Peru, generated millions in losses in Antioquian commerce, especially for the hotel and bar sectors, which they lose around $8.2 billion, according to Fenalco Antioquia.
“It must be clear that all this has very important repercussions for the football industry and for all the surrounding industries that are always preparing for what this sports festival is like, such as the hotel sector, land and air transport, commerce, both during the day like at night, because bars, cafeterias, restaurants, the entire tourist industry and the surroundings of the stadium are immersed there ”, indicated María José Bernal Gaviria, director of Fenalco Antioquia.
As revealed by Cotelco, the hotel sector lost close to $7,000 million in Medellín and the metropolitan area, since hotel occupancy for these dates ranges between 85% and 95%. Likewise, bars, restaurants and nightclubs increase their sales by 70%, which generates income of about $1.2 billion, as indicated by Asobares. In other words, those two sectors alone lose some $8.2 billion.
According to María José Bernal Gaviria, the message from the local administration is worrying because, “In the face of these types of events that are completely reprehensible, we must support the institutional framework, surround private companies and condemn acts of vandalism and violence, from a message that generates trust and authority on the part of the administration.”
Nacional is one of the teams that moves the most fans in Antioquia and the country, so it is essential to find a solution to the problems with the bar and continue using Atanasio Girardot for what comes his way in the Colombian League and the Libertadores Cup.
Since this situation affects all the industries surrounding football, such as the hotel sector, land and air transport, day and night trade, bars, cafeterias, restaurants, the tourist industry and the surroundings of the stadium.