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THE much-anticipated ‘Finalissima’ match between European champions Spain and Copa America winners Argentina has been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The two sides were due to face off against each other in Qatar on March 26 – the second edition of the Finalissima since the one-off match was relaunched in 2020.
Every four years, the game pits the recent winners of the European Championship against the Copa America.
This year’s event will not take place due to safety concerns over the war in Iran.
The Finalissima match between CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 Champions Argentina and UEFA Euro 2024 Winners Spain cannot be played in Qatar as hoped on the 27th March due to the current situation in the area, UEFA announced in a press release.
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“Despite the difficulties in relocating a fixture of this importance with such short notice, UEFA looked at other viable alternatives, but none of them were acceptable to the Argentinian Football Association.”
Argentina rejected the suggestions to move the game to Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium or stage the match over two legs.
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) said it had ‘worked intensively’ to get the game on.
“Spain was ready to play as it had always been stated. They did not set any conditions. The RFEF claimed that Spain and UEFA had offered every possibility.
The Finalissima was not the first sporting event to be affected by safety concerns due to the war in the Middle East.
On Saturday it was announced the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix weekend, which were due to be held in April, would not take place.
Formula 1 concluded after ‘careful evaluations’ that it would not be safe to hold either race because of the ongoing conflict across the region.
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