Disciplinary hearing opened against River Plate after Boca bus attack

South American football body CONMEBOL has opened a disciplinary hearing against River Plate after its fans attacked the Boca Juniors bus before the Copa Libertadores final on Saturday.

CONMEBOL made the announcement on social media on Tuesday. It said River has 24 hours to present its defense to the hearing at the confederation headquarters in Luque, Paraguay.

Later in the day, confederation executives will also gather to decide the fate of the second leg.

The final between the Buenos Aires archrivals was postponed on Saturday to Sunday, then on Sunday postponed indefinitely because Boca was in no fit state to play. The first leg was drawn 2-2.

As the team bus approached the stadium, windows were smashed and police had to try and bring the crowds under control using pepper spray.

Some of the spray drifted inside the coach and affected a number of the players. The driver later admitted that he had fainted and the vice-president of Boca had to take the wheel.

A number of people inside the coach also received minor injuries from the various missiles, stones, and bottles that were thrown at the bus. Midfielder Pablo Perez had to be taken to hospital after the coach reached the stadium, and returned later with a heavily bandaged eye. Gonzalo Lamardo was also later pictured with a similar injury.

Police made a number of arrests, including that of a woman who was filmed taping flares to a young River Plate fan in an attempt to smuggle them into the stadium for the match.

Buenos Aires' mayor says the attack on the bus was co-ordinated by River Plate hooligans called the Barra Brava, known as the 'mafia of Argentinian football.'

Boca wants River to be punished for the attack that injured several players near River's Monumental de Nunez Stadium.

The disciplinary committee will decide whether to disqualify River Plate, force the second leg to be played behind closed doors, or transfer the match to a neutral stadium.

If the match is indeed moved elsewhere, Italian city Genoa has been quick to offer to host the final after stressing the role immigrants from the city had in founding the two clubs in Buenos Aires.

Tensions are always high between the two teams, and the 'Superclasico' is known as one of, if not the most intense rivalry in world football. 70 per cent of Argentine football fans support one of the two clubs, whose roots go back 105 years.

The rivalry is based on geography and social class. Historically, it's viewed as a battle between the people of Boca and the bourgeoisie of River Plate, even though both clubs can be traced back to the working-class docklands of the city.