Okay, stay with me on this one. So most people familiar with Argentine football will know that Argentina's league system is a bit of a mess and forever changing.
This year they've gone back to a system similar to the old one; a champion in the first half of the year and a champion in the second half of the year (Apertura and Clausura). It's a 16 game league system followed by playoffs twice a season essentially.
Well 4 days after the Clausura league portion had finished they decided to award a third trophy to the team that accumulated the most points across the 2 halves of the league season.
This crowned Rosario Central, the team Di Maria is captain of, champions. This is more important than I initially realised as @domalino has pointed out on page 2, as he met with the AFA to ask for the trophy. They also declared that the teams in the Clausura playoffs must give them a guard of honour despite the trophy just being made up there and then.
So first game of the playoffs they meet Estudiantes:
Estudiantes rightfully turn their backs acknowledging what a farce it all is. They beat Rosario and knocked them out of the Clausura playoffs.
The Argentine FA responds by banning all XI players for 2 games next season and bans the Estudiantes president, one Juan Sebastian Veron, for 6 months. Estudiantes are now threatening legal action.
Rivalling the Premier League on who can destroy themselves first.
This year they've gone back to a system similar to the old one; a champion in the first half of the year and a champion in the second half of the year (Apertura and Clausura). It's a 16 game league system followed by playoffs twice a season essentially.
Well 4 days after the Clausura league portion had finished they decided to award a third trophy to the team that accumulated the most points across the 2 halves of the league season.
This crowned Rosario Central, the team Di Maria is captain of, champions. This is more important than I initially realised as @domalino has pointed out on page 2, as he met with the AFA to ask for the trophy. They also declared that the teams in the Clausura playoffs must give them a guard of honour despite the trophy just being made up there and then.
So first game of the playoffs they meet Estudiantes:
Estudiantes rightfully turn their backs acknowledging what a farce it all is. They beat Rosario and knocked them out of the Clausura playoffs.
The Argentine FA responds by banning all XI players for 2 games next season and bans the Estudiantes president, one Juan Sebastian Veron, for 6 months. Estudiantes are now threatening legal action.
Rivalling the Premier League on who can destroy themselves first.
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