It was this shameful event that would lead to a chain of events that in a few days would see Ortega at his lowest point since returning to River Plate two years ago, and putting an end to a roller coaster off-season which has seen him holding a very public feud with coach Diego Simeone and club President, Jose Aguilar. And it was a terrible way to see the end of one of Argentina’s brightest players of his generation, who despite his unquestioned talent and the unconditional love bestowed upon him by millions of River fans worldwide, would ultimately choose to end his career at the club where it all began in shame.

After word spread to the River camp and the above images became public, Simeone, who had only recently come to an uneasy truce with Ortega, had decided that enough was enough, and met with members of the club board of directors with a simple objective – to remove Ortega from the squad. The directors agreed, and after a brief meeting, stated the terms of el Burrito’s return to first team action, which demanded that the player seek addiction counseling, at any location in the world of his choosing AND at full cost to the club, before returning to the club.

But what seemed a reasonable offer was not for Ortega. To him, only first team football would do, and if River would not have him, then he would seek a move elsewhere. Late last night, Ortega, again putting the game ahead of his own safety, let the club now that he would be accepting the offer of United Arab Emirates club, Al Ain Sports, which had recently been denied a move from River, in a ten month loan deal worth 500,000.

And so it seems that Ortega, through his own choosing, will finish his career overseas, putting money and football ahead of his own personal demons. Since his return to River in 2006, Ortega has had a very public fight with alcoholism, and one sensed that after this past championship winning season, perhaps the disease had taken its tool. The missed practices, the unsuccessful treatment programs, the behind the scenes fights with Simeone – at some point it would all come to an end. But perhaps most frustrating about Ortega’s decision to leave is that it could have ended so much better.

Imagine it: After winning the 2008 Clausura at home, Ortega meets with Simeone and the board, where it is decided that el Burrito must enter a rehab program before he is again given the captain’s armband. Ortega swallows his pride and agrees, then is rewarded by being allowed to play the final game of the season against Banfield, where the adoring public can chant his name, “Orteeeeeeega” one more time. Then immediately following that match, Ortega gets the help he needs, and Simeone is allowed to do his job and create the team he wants, with no influence from the President or board of directors.

But instead, the soap opera of the past few days is how we will see Ortega’s departure from the club, a spectacle of drunken behavior and selfish decisions. Simeone meanwhile has been unfairly labeled the villain by thousands of River fans who immediately flooded internet chat rooms, calling for his head and the unconditional return of Ortega to the squad. River fans no doubt love their hero; his resume with the club is still impressive, and no one can question that on his day, he was still one of the most dangerous players in the game, and an absolute joy to watch.

Now though Ortega leaves for the deserts of the Middle East, where he will no doubt make a huge payday. Perhaps there, far from the pressures of Argentina, he will at last find the inner peace to face his problem head on, and seek the necessary treatment he needs. We certainly wish him and his family all the best in the world, and will wait to see him once again inside the Monumental. Perhaps it was plain selfishness on Ortega’s part that brought him to this point. Or maybe how the club, the press, and the fans were willing to turn a blind eye to his illness in favor of the game, for the opportunity to see him play just once more. I can only help but think of that famous quote from Jorge Valdano regarding one of Argentina’s other great stars: “For so many years we have told him repeatedly, ‘You’re a god’, ‘You’re a star’ … that we forgot to tell him the most important thing: ‘You’re a man’.”

It’s been two weeks since los millonarios officially won the 2008 Clausura title, but River Plate and its fans are still celebrating the club’s first title in nearly 4 years. This past Sunday, after their come from behind victory against Banfield closed the season on a high note, the players boarded an open top bus for the traditional caravana around Buenos Aires.

Beginning at the famed Obelisco in the city center, an estimated crowd of 10,000 greeted the team as it slowly made its way through the streets. A sea of white and red braved the cold temperatures to sing songs, wave flags, and thank the players for bringing home the club’s record 33rd local title. After many hours, the bus made its way to the Monumental stadium to end a beautiful day of celebration.

The below pictures are from the official club website, which you can find here.

This fine video below from the excellent La Pagina Millonaria fan site shows all the excitement from the ground.

With their 33rd league title already in hand, River Plate nontheless gave their fans a terrific end to their championship season today, in a come from behind 3-2 win away to Banfield in the 19th and final fixture to close out the 2008 Clausura.

River ,perhaps unsurprisingly, were down 2-0 to the home team for 70 minutes before goals from Radamel Falcao and Matias Abelairas gave los millonarios the win. The large contingent of River fans who traveled to be congratulate the team were given a wonderful win to close out the year, and a fine beginning to the teams “caravan,” in which the players boarded a bus and traveled to the city center for the traditional championship celebration.

Check back soon for pics and videos.

Not a week has passed since River triumphantly wrapped up its 33rd league title, but a controversy already seems to be brewing, and it involve no less that the squad’s most beloved player, Ariel Ortega, recently awarded a 2-year extension. But what should be a happy day for the River captain is instead causing a rift behind the scenes.

With the title in hand, and one more fixture next Sunday away to Banfield to end the Clausura, el Burrito, who has long had a very public struggle with alcoholism, missed practice yet again this past Thursday in another unfortunate relapse. According to reports from within the club, coach Diego Simeone was clearly upset over the absence, referring to it as a “lack of responsibility.” Simeone has shown his displeasure with Ortega over the season, most notably by not starting him for a stretch of games during the second half of the Clausura, which was met with a roar of outrage from the fans.

So yesterday’s decision by River President José María Aguilar to extend Ortega’s contract with the club until 2011, effectively signing the idol until the end of his career, and met with approval by the vast majority of the River faithful, must have come as a slap to the face to Simeone, who must see this as an afront to his role as manager.

And so River faces it’s first big question of the off-season: will Simeone, who has received offers to coach in Spain and whose own contract comes to an end in Decemeber, see this extension as reason to leave the club? It’s clear that neither Simeone nor Aguilar want to be known as the bad guy who let Ortega leave. River fans, have we have seen this season, are a fickle bunch, and neither Aguilar, an unpopular and sometimes hated President, nor Simeone, by no means a fan favorite despite delivering the club’s first trophy in 4 years, want to be saddled with the task. But Simeone must feel as though his role at the club is being comprimised; if Aguilar is making deals regardless of Simeone’s input behind his back, such off-field distractions could hurt the team for the upcoming Apertura and Copa Sudamericana campaigns.

Then there is Ortega himself, as we said, a River legend, who has proven his standing as a top football player and one who bleeds the shirt. But tough questions must be asked of his current health issues, and whether they are affecting his performance and the team’s as a whole. Yes, he had a major role in our title-winning season, and since his return in 2006, he has had some memorable performances, from this highlight-reel goal during a 5-0 thrashing of San Lorenzo in 2006, to his memorable display against Boca in the Superclásico in 2007, where his grace with the ball came to be called, “el baile,” or the dance. Yet for all of those brilliant moments, he has also continued to struggle with this alcoholism, and has missed several games in the process. With one of the questions regarding River’s average play the past few seasons supposedly based on the lack of a true leader, to have one’s captain consistently miss so many games and practices is cause for concern, and the reports this season of several players voicing their displeasure to Simeone behind the scenes showed that.

What does seem clear is that this move by Aguilar to essentially give el Burrito carte blanche at River is less a tactical manuever then a blatant attempt to appease the River fans who could have easily turned on the President had he let Ortega go. Now, Aguilar is being perceived as the man who let Ortega stay. But the fact that he did so by essentially pulling rank over Simeone shows a huge lack of character and respect.

Should Ortega remain at River? Does he have a place in Simeone’s plans? At 34 years, he is not the player he once was, but he can still play at the level of the competetive Primera, and his experience is invaluable to those around him. But one has to expect that such saddening and heartbreaking absences like the one seen this past week will not be going away anytime soon, and like it or not, fans should be worried, first and foremost for the health and safety of one of the great ambassadors of the game, but also for the welfare of the team. With questions surrounding many of the current starting XI, who will leave, who will stay, and who the club will bring in, it remains to be seen whether this contract extension will drive the wedge further into an already fragile situation, or whether one player should be put ahead of an entire team and it’s coach.

Even if that player is an idolo like Ariel Ortega.

River Plate are once again Champions of Argentina, grabbing their 33rd local title this afternoon in a 2-1 win over Olimpo in front of a packed Monumental. With Estudiantes unable to win against Colon, River assured themselves of the title on the 18th fixture of this 2008 Clausura.

Despite a season that was full of surprises, sufferings, embarrassments, and many, many questions, el millo came together at the right time, celebrating in front of their adoring fans at home and worldwide, and ending this tumultuous season on the highest of all notes. The day’s hero was our own Diego Buonanotte, el Enano, son of River, who cemented his legacy in the history books, providing the two goals of the game that gave us our 33rd title, 10 more than voka.

River can rejoice and celebrate a deserved title. They may have taken some hits this season, but they were never out. And true River fans never gave up hope that this squad, led by Diego Simeone and Ariel Ortega would NOT give up, and to once again lead us to cry, River Campeon!

Un abrazo a todos los hinchas de River por el mundo!

River Plate:
Juan Pablo Carrizo
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Eduardo Tuzzio, Cristian Villagra
Oscar Ahumada, Matías Abelairas
Ariel Ortega (Andrés Ríos 85th), Radamel Falcao, Diego Buonanotte (Nicolás Domingo, 89th)
Sebastián Abreu (Augusto Fernández, 63rd)

With River a man down early in the first half against Colón in Santa Fe, and Estudiantes leading 1-0 against Huracan, things were not looking good for los millonarios this afternoon. But a heroic performance in the second half capped off a tense and dramatic turnaround of events, with River winning 2-1, and coupled with Huracan pulling even against Estudiantes, means that we are now in sole possession of first place, clear by 2 points, with 2 matches left to play and destiny clearly in our hands.

It certainly didn’t look that way in the first half, with both teams playing poorly, and too many fouls being called against River. With Leo Ponzio sent off in the 18th minute after receiving his second yellow (dissent?), it was clear that Diego Simeone simply wanted to get out of the first 45 unscathed and regroup during halftime.

So as is the custom this season, River, who survived the first half with the scoreline 0-0, came out completely re-energized in the second. Alexis Sánchez, quiet in recent weeks, replaced an average Diego Buonanotte, gave River another dimension in attack, and the squad overall showed a new spirit. But it was, who else, Ariel Ortega who expertly setup the unlikely Cristian Villagra whose golazo put River ahead in the 56th minute. Sánchez looked to put the game away in the 75th minute after slamming the ball into the back of the net, but when Colón pulled one back 3 minutes later (should not have counted as there was an uncalled offside prior to the corner that led to it), it was game on.

The final 10 minutes plus 4 minutes added time were some of the most excruciating yet, with River clearly gassed and desperately playing to hold on to the lead, and Colón throwing everything they had at River’s defense. And who came to rescue in those final agonizing minutes? Only Juan Pablo Carrizo and Oscar Ahumada, two players vilified the past month, yet both of whom had key saves in the final minutes to deny Colón the draw. The whistle finally blew, the River fans rejoiced as one, the squad hugged each other in celebration, and with the news of Estudiantes dropping two points in La Paternal, the reality set in: River are 2 victories away from the Clausura.

What a dramatic and emotional game. Not the prettiest football, that we’ve known all season long. But la banda left it all on the pitch in Santa Fe, knowing what was needed and not packing it in despite being a man down, the squad banded together and did what was necessary.

Just think about it: if los millonarios win their next game against Olimpo, and should Estudiantes lose, River would win their 33rd league title at the Monumental. Could this really be happening? Believe it because it is. We’ve clawed our way to this point, and now 2 games stand between us and victory.

Cuanto Daria Por Gritar River CAMPEON!!!

River Plate:
Juan Pablo Carrizo
Danilo Gerlo, Leonardo Ponzio, Gustavo Cabral
Paulo Ferrari, Oscar Ahumada, Matías Abelairas, Cristian Villagra
Ariel Ortega (Andrés L. Ríos, 74th), Diego Buonanotte (Alexis Sánchez, 53rd)
Sebastián Abreu (Augusto Fernández, 67th)

Despite the fallout from the Copa Libertadores exit this season, River are within reach to grabbing their record 33rd League title, and slowly the Monumental faithful are coming back around to unanimously support the squad.

Early reports show Diego Simeone fielding this lineup:

Juan Pablo Carrizo
Danilo Gerlo, Leonardo Ponzio, Gustavo Cabral
Paulo Ferrari, Oscar Ahumada, Matías Abelairas, Cristian Villagra
Ariel Ortega, Diego Buonanotte
Sebastián Abreu

While everyone will be ecstatic to see Ortega back in the starting XI, most eyes will be on Ahumada, Carrizo, and Abreu, three players who have been criticized heavily in recent weeks, but who can reclaim the love of a demanding River fanbase by leaving it all out on the pitch the next 3 games. And like them or not, River will need all 3 if they want to be crowned champions.

The game will be broadcast live on FSE and FSC at 2PM ET.

Ariel Ortega and Diego Buonanotte were the heroes Saturday evening, combining together on the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Huracan, enough to send River back to the top of the Torneo Clausura, and in front of a Monumental crowd celebrating the club’s 107th anniversary, reviving the teams chances of winning a title in this roller-coaster ride of a season. After Estudiantes were only able to draw 1-1 against Independiente on Sunday, los millonarios are once again tied for first with 34 points, level with Diego Simeone’s former squad, with only 3 games left.

After a tepid first half, which the squad left to jeers and whistles from the frustrated home crowd, Simeone made the substitution that just about everyone in the stadium was chanting for. With that, el Burrito Ortega came on in the second half, and the pace of River’s game changed almost at once. After some nail-biting minutes, a brilliant individual effort by Ortega ended with a pass to young Buonanotte, who effortlessly sent the ball to the back of the net. The crowd rose to its feet, Simeone went berserk, and the club came together after weeks of off-filed turmoil.

If you’ve read this blog over the past season, you know how River performed yesterday, so I won’t go over it again. What I do want to say is that I saw a team on Saturday that is starting to believe. They may not play the most beautiful football, and they may be leaving us River fans with more tense moments then we care to experience, but they are proving that they can get things done. And if Ariel Ortega, whose role at the club has been questioned in recent days, can take this squad on his back and lead them to the title, it would make this sometime nightmare of a season worth it.

And speaking of those fans who filled the Monumental yesterday, they finally appeared to come together to support the club, showing that while, yes, it’s sometimes necessary to tell the players when they’re playing badly, it’s also important to support them.

We now face three must-wins in the league: away to Colon, home to Olimpo, and away to Banfield. On paper, all three are wins, but River must take nothing for granted. Estudiantes meanwhile, will go away to Huracan, home to Colon, and away to Olimpo. Can River find it in them to grab three more victories? Will Estudiantes slip-up? Will there be a one-game title decider? Aguante River, and stay tuned.

NOTES: As you can see in the video below, River did indeed wear an alternate, violet strip, using that odd color for only the 4th time in the club’s history, and not since 1975 in the old Metropolitano. Depending on who you ask, the color is either a tribute to the Torino squad that perished in a plane crash in 1949, and whose kit was donated by the victims families after River traveled to Italy to play a benefit match, OR, were donated by a club member prior to a 1969 game against Deportivo Morón (who have a similar strip to River’s), after no other color was available. Either way, I have to admit that it didn’t look quite as bad as I feared, and wouldn’t mind adding it to my collection.

River Plate:
Juan Pablo Carrizo
Danilo Gerlo, Leonardo Ponzio, Gustavo Cabral
Paulo Ferrari, Nicolás Domingo (Ariel Ortega, 46th), Matías Abelairas
Augusto Fernández (Alexis Sánchez, 57th), Radamel Falcao, Diego Buonanotte
Sebastián Abreu (Mauro Rosales, 70th)

After an embarrassing week that featured insults exchanged between fans and players, River needed to put it all behind them to keep pace with leaders Estudiantes atop the Clausura table. But despite a better performance on the day then their rivals, los millonarios could only come away with a 0-0 draw, and as a result, are now in second place in the league, two points out of first, with only 4 games left.

Truth be told it was a boring match from two teams that played far too conservatively, and the goalless draw was a fair indication of that. River held possession through much of the game, especially in the second half, but after far too many missed attempts from weak shots, you could tell that this River was not going to get the job done.

With 4 games left in the league, anything is still possible, and this same Independiente will face Estudiantes next week, so River fans will be hopeful that points will be dropped. But the squad’s poor performance of late is not leaving me with a good feeling. For River to have any chance at the title, they must win their last 4 games and hope that other teams fall. With destiny not in their hands, I simply don’t believe in this club. Why? Frankly, I don’t think this team believes in itself. The players are on their way out, Simeone is losing the tactical battle, and fans are split between those who support the club through thick and thin and those who feel it necessary to throw insults from the terraces. And to be honest, when River were winning and at the top of the table, they weren’t really that much better; they simply got the results they needed. But now that it’s crunch-time, they’re beginning to fall apart.

I will always support the shirt, and regardless of what happens this season, I will remain a loyal gallina, whatever the results. But there is something broken in this team, and something needs to change. Soon.

NOTES: Oscar Ahumada’s performance today must be noted. He was one of River’s best players on the pitch, and fought for every ball. He was whistled throughout. This coming after his comments this past week directed at the fans who threw corn and diapers during the Gimnasia match, suggesting that Boca supporters would have treated their team better. His career at River may soon be over.

River Plate:
Juan Pablo Carrizo
Paulo Ferrari, Gustavo Cabral, Nicolás Sánchez, Leonardo Ponzio
Augusto Fernández (Ariel Ortega, 52nd), Oscar Ahumada (Alexis Sánchez, 74th), Matías Abelairas
Diego Buonanotte
Radamel Falcao , Sebastián Abreu.

The River Plate of old made a return appearance yesterday, in a wild 4-2 victory at home against Gimnasia de La Plata. It was a must-win game for los millonarios, who remain on top of the Torneo Clausura, tied with Estudiantes on 30 points with 5 fixtures remaining.

By “old” I mean the River we were used to seeing at the beginning of the season – shocking one half than the exact opposite the next, terrible defending but scoring goals on the other end. In the first 45 minutes River looked as if they were still in a daze following their embarrassing elimination in the Copa Libertadores last week, and the first goal conceded in the 26th minute was unfortunately only a matter of time. Matias Abelairas, who had to be River’s player of the match, equalized with a beautiful strike 10 minutes later, but it was Gimnasia’s second goal that pretty much summed up River’s defense in 2008. As el lobo lined up for a quick restart, River’s backline not only had their backs to the play, but didn’t even seem to realize that the kick had been taken until it was too late.

Then came an incredible second half, where yet again, it was a completely different squad that took the field. After Ariel Ortega was brought in as a sub, the offense came alive, scoring 3 goals from Buonanotte, Abelairas, and Ortega, and Gimnasia could barely keep up. When the whistle finally blew after 90 minutes, River had won 4-2 and managed to stay alive in the league, and for at least a day, were able to make us all forget about the horrible week and a half we’ve just experienced.

Next week’s fixture will be huge in Argentina, with must win games for all the top teams in the table. River will travel south to face Independiente, while Boca will host Racing, San Lorenzo will take part in their local derby against Huracán, and Estudiantes will face off against this very Gimnasia side in the La Plata clásico. While it’s inevitable and probable that all of these teams in the top half will drop points in the final remaining fixtures, River absolutely must find a way to gain as many points as they can if they hope to win the title. As we saw last week, anything is possible in football, but hopefully in the league, luck will be on our side.

NOTES: The real story yesterday was the hostile reaction from the home crowd, still fuming from the game against San Lorenzo. The squad came on to the pitch prior to kickoff greeted by angry signs (”More heart and less disillusion!”), chants against the players and the board of directors, and even projectiles such as diapers and corn, the later a reference to River’s “other” nickname las gallinas, or the chickens. While it’s fair to still be upset, I personally always preferred the stance of “en las buenas y en las malas” to describe my feelings for the shirt, and to leave the taunting to the opposition.

River Plate:
Juan Pablo Carrizo
Paulo Ferrari, Danilo Gerlo, Gustavo Cabral, Cristian Villagra
Leonardo Ponzio (Oscar Ahumada, 45th), Matías Abelairas
Augusto Fernández (Ariel Ortega, 45th), Alexis Sánchez, Diego Buonanotte (Rodrigo Archubi, 76th)
Sebastián Abreu