The clash that had to be staged by the Academy and Fortín, postponed in the wake of Hernán Manrique’s passing, is now scheduled for the FIFA international window weekend. This decision came after careful coordination and a shared focus on honoring a colleague who left a lasting imprint on the team and its broader sporting community. The pause was not merely a break in the calendar; it was a moment to reflect on the human side of football and the unforeseen events that can redefine a season for everyone involved.
The match will take place on Friday, May 19, featuring Racing and Vélez and counting toward the 17th round of the Professional League Tournament. The football world, used to the rhythm of fixtures and the pressure of results, faced an additional layer of emotion as the Fortín club mourned the loss of Hernán Manrique, a reserve coach whose sudden decompensation during his team’s technical meeting culminated in a cardiac arrest a short time later. The tragedy underscored the fragility of life and the responsibility clubs bear to care for their staff beyond the strip and the bench.
Logically, the Liniers club requested the postponement, and the Professional Soccer League promptly granted the appeal. In response, organizers reworked the schedule so the match could be slotted into the FIFA hiatus, a period during which the Argentina national team embarks on international fixtures in China and Indonesia. This window provides teams with a chance to recalibrate, recover players, and recalibrate strategies away from the domestic grind, while still keeping the season’s narrative moving forward.
The rescheduled venue is the Cilindro de Avellaneda, with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 17. As planned, the match unfolds under the same competitive framework, maintaining the integrity of the league’s calendar and allowing fans to plan ahead with clarity. In what had looked like a troubling turn of events at the season’s outset, both clubs find themselves enduring the sting of a difficult campaign. They occupy the lower rungs of the table, where every point matters and the race to avoid relegation based on annual standings remains intensely competitive. The postponement and subsequent date shift are seen by many as a chance to reset, refocus, and approach the remainder of the season with renewed determination rather than dwelling on missteps from the early months. And through it all, supporters are reminded of the human dimension that lies at the heart of football—two clubs, one game, and a shared moment of resilience and unity in response to a sorrowful chapter in the sport’s ongoing story. (Goal)