In a manifesto of how fans can try and change a footballers' mind about quitting a club, thousands of Boca Juniors fans turned out across Argentina on Monday to beg Juan Román Riquelme not to go.
The 34-year-old announced on Wednesday his intention to leave the club in the wake of their defeat to Corinthians in the Copa Libertadores final.
It was a devastating blow to Boca fans and it got even worse when word spread that their hero might go to Brazil to join Flamengo.
That sparked a massive response from the Boca fans, and a day of protests against Riquelme's decision to quit was called for Monday.
With the help of Facebook and Twitter to help spread the message, Monday saw protests spring up in 10-12 cities across Argentina.
The largest demonstration was held at Boca's La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, where 5000 fans descended on the ground to sing for Riquelme to stay.
According to Olé, the club originally decided to keep the stadium locked due to a lack of security at the ground, but eventually relented and the chants of "Riquelme is Boca, Boca is not going!" continued in the stands.
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| Boca Juniors fans gather outside La Bombonera stadium to persuade Juan Román Riquelme to stay Photo: Getty Images |
The 34-year-old announced on Wednesday his intention to leave the club in the wake of their defeat to Corinthians in the Copa Libertadores final.
It was a devastating blow to Boca fans and it got even worse when word spread that their hero might go to Brazil to join Flamengo.
That sparked a massive response from the Boca fans, and a day of protests against Riquelme's decision to quit was called for Monday.
With the help of Facebook and Twitter to help spread the message, Monday saw protests spring up in 10-12 cities across Argentina.
The largest demonstration was held at Boca's La Bombonera in Buenos Aires, where 5000 fans descended on the ground to sing for Riquelme to stay.
According to Olé, the club originally decided to keep the stadium locked due to a lack of security at the ground, but eventually relented and the chants of "Riquelme is Boca, Boca is not going!" continued in the stands.
Related links:
Team
Personal
Also see:
