South American football analyst Tim Vickery broke the initial news, detailing the domestic context driving the captain’s controversial trip to Buenos Aires. Explaining why the fixture holds such deep personal significance for the defender, Vickery told talkSPORT: “He will be at the final of the Argentine Championship between Belgrano and River Plate.
“Belgrano are Romero’s club. It’s the club where he started, and he’s a fan. Belgrano have never won the Argentine Championship. They are going to River Plate, who have won more than anyone else, so this is historic. Fifteen years ago, these two met in the play-off that relegated River Plate. If Tottenham going down is off the scale, River Plate going down is even more off the scale.”