The Argentine Football Association (AFA) and CONMEBOL have issued an official statement explaining their stance after the cancellation of the Finalissima between Argentina and Spain, assuring they always maintained the willingness to play the match on a neutral ground. As detailed by both entities, the original agreement with UEFA stipulated that the match between the Copa America champion and the Euro winner would be played in Qatar, a country that had already demonstrated its capacity to organize major sporting events. However, once that venue was discarded, negotiations began to find an alternative that would satisfy all parties involved. They emphasized that Argentina agreed to play on this neutral venue without objections, though it suggested moving the match to March 31 due to the short timeframe. Nevertheless, UEFA informed that it was not possible to change the date and hold the match four days later than scheduled, so it was ultimately decided to cancel the Finalissima. 'CONMEBOL and AFA deeply regret that, despite the efforts made and the will expressed to dispute this match on neutral ground from the first moment, it was not possible,' they stated in the communiqué. Finally, both entities thanked Qatar for its willingness to host the event and also UEFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation for their attempts to make the match between the champions of South America and Europe happen.
