Chilean National Team Cancels Friendly Match Due to Social Protests
The team adopted this position after a meeting held at the Juan Pinto Durán Complex, where La Roja had started preparing for the friendly match earlier in the morning, the National Professional Football Association (ANFP) reported in a statement.
Chilean coach Reinaldo Rueda immediately released all the players, who are now available to their respective clubs.
The country's social situation had been hovering over the concentration for days, and some of the team leaders, such as midfielder Charles Aranguiz, publicly expressed their desire not to play the match against Peru.
"The game should not be played. What is happening in the country is quite serious," said the Bayer Leverkusen player to the press after landing in Santiago on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, midfielder Arturo Vidal, also arriving in Santiago on Tuesday, said he supports the demands of the citizens, while expressing his willingness to play for the national team and win against Peru if it was decided to proceed with the match.
"I'm with the people, I believe they have risen up and are demanding what is fair, and we must support them to the fullest. But I came here to play for the national team, to take advantage of this last match and prepare for what is to come," said the Barcelona player.
Rueda had called up exclusively foreign-based players for this match, and avoided including players from local teams because the national championship has been suspended for three weeks due to the social protests that have been taking place in the country since October 18.
Vidal, Aranguiz, and other established players, such as Claudio Bravo and Gary Medel, along with the rest of the squad, completed a training session this morning after having a conversation with Rueda.
The team carried out recreational ball exercises during the 15 minutes that media was allowed to be present.
The friendly match against Peru is the only one scheduled for Chile during this FIFA date, as the other match against Bolivia at home was suspended until further notice due to the ongoing social protests, which are now entering their fourth week, and have already resulted in at least 20 deaths and thousands of injuries.