Chilean Ministry Seeks Real Madrid Support for Wanderers After Venue Change

Chile's Ministry of Sport expressed regret over the decision to move the U20 Intercontinental Cup final from Valparaíso to Spain but is determined to leverage the situation into a formative experience for Santiago Wanderers' youth team. The club had anticipated hosting Real Madrid's U20 squad at the Estadio "Elías Figueroa" in Valparaíso.

Natalia Duco, the head of the Ministry of Sport, stated that while the loss of local hosting is regrettable, the ministry will actively support Wanderers in ensuring an excellent experience for the young players. She emphasized the significance of playing in a world-class venue like the Santiago Bernabéu.

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The news is regrettable; we would have loved to host Real Madrid at Wanderers' stadium, but we also believe that although we made every effort for it to be in Valparaíso, we will support Wanderers in having an excellent experience.

"The news is regrettable; we would have loved to host Real Madrid at Wanderers' stadium, but we also believe that although we made every effort for it to be in Valparaíso, we will support Wanderers in having an excellent experience," Duco told CNN Chile. She added, "It's not insignificant to play at Real Madrid's stadium, and we will push for them not only to play the match but also to have a concentration stay."

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It's not insignificant to play at Real Madrid's stadium, and we will push for them not only to play the match but also to have a concentration stay.

The ministry plans to establish direct contact with Real Madrid to arrange training sessions for the Santiago Wanderers delegation during their stay in Madrid. This initiative aims to provide the young "caturros" players with valuable professional development opportunities.

The announcement comes after criticism from Santiago Wanderers' president and controller, Reinaldo Sánchez, who blamed Chilean authorities for the venue change. Despite his initial remarks, Sánchez acknowledged Minister Duco's efforts in trying to secure the match for Valparaíso.

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We are going to contact Real Madrid and try, as a Ministry, to make arrangements so that this generation of players can enjoy a training period with them, which I think would be a great experience for these players.