The Victoria meeting was planned for Saturday at 9:30 p.m., but a security decision required it to be moved up by several hours.
From the outset, the Professional football league aimed to provide some predictability by scheduling at least three dates with clear days and times. Yet, on the fourth day, the most significant gathering faced a change in plans as there was a real possibility of rescheduling the event.
What transpired? The José Dellagiovanna Stadium sits in Victoria and is connected to the San Fernando festivities. The municipality had set its carnival celebration for Saturday night, February 18, which created a clash in resources. With limited personnel available to cover both events, APREVIDE raised concerns to the LPF about the feasibility of staging the football match under those constraints.
The situation was further complicated by television considerations. Broadcasters requested that the kickoff occur before 7:30 p.m. The Agency for the Prevention of Violence in Sport insisted on a start time no later than 6:00 p.m. to ensure proper security coverage. In the end, the AFA granted approval for security, and the game was slated to finish around 8 p.m., matching the municipality’s preference.
Had no agreement been reached, the match would likely have been forced to move to a different date. The Millionaire club had already scheduled its clash with Banfield for Wednesday the 22nd to secure a place in the 2020 Champions Trophy final, while the Matador team was set to travel to Córdoba on Thursday to face Belgrano at the start of date 5, creating a scheduling squeeze that could not be ignored.
These developments illustrate the delicate balance leagues must strike between on-field competition, television demands, municipal events, and the safety of spectators. When multiple large-scale events share the same venue and city resources, organizers must coordinate closely with security agencies, broadcasters, and clubs to find a configuration that maintains game integrity while protecting public safety. In this case, the cooperation between APREVIDE, the LPF, and the AFA, with input from the local government, helped align scheduling with available manpower, broadcast windows, and security protocols. The result was a compromise that allowed the match to proceed on the earliest feasible timeline, minimizing disruption to the league’s calendar while honoring the city’s Carnival plans and safety commitments. (Goal)