ASUNCION, Paraguay, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 2019 Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Flamengo has been moved to Lima from Santiago because of ongoing violence in the Chilean capital, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said on Tuesday.
The match will be played at the 80,000-capacity Estadio Monumental, Peru's largest stadium, on November 23, according to a statement on CONMEBOL's official website.
Earlier, CONMEBOL announced the match would not be played at Santiago's Estadio Nacional following a meeting with Flamengo and River Plate officials at the body's headquarters in Asuncion, Paraguay.
It said the move was based on "new circumstances of force majeure and public order" and considered "the safety of the players, the public and officials."
The decision comes as Chile grapples with its worst civil unrest in decades. At least 20 people have been killed and dozens more inured as protests against living costs and inequality have turned violent.
The upheaval has prompted the cancelation of two major summits in Santiago: the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting and the UN global climate gathering, planned for November and December, respectively.
Chilean football governing body ANFP called off the national team's friendly against Bolivia - scheduled for Santiago on November 15 - earlier on Tuesday because of the security threat.
This year is the first time that the Copa Libertadores - South America's premier club competition - will feature a single final. CONMEBOL's executive committee last year voted to drop a decades-old home-and-away format for the decider, bringing it in line with other continental tournaments such as the UEFA Champions League.
Flamengo are aiming for just their second Libertadores title and their first since 1981 while River Plate are vying to win it for a fifth time and third in five years.
