Posted by Scott Byington

As the streets outside Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires pick up from what looks nothing short of a war zone, the devastating fact remains: River Plate, Argentina’s most successful club, is relegated. After losing 3-1 in an aggregate playoff match against relative minnows, Belgrano, River Plate will be starting their next campaign in the Nacional B. This is the first relegation suffered in River’s illustrious 110-year history, having spent 102 consecutive years in the Primera A and winning the league a record thirty-three times.

Before going further into what brought about River’s unthinkable relegation, it must be said that no matter how saddening it is to see a historic club relegated, an outpouring of violence is never an appropriate response. The scenes following the game were pure chaos as hysterical fans tore up stadium seating, fences and anything they could get their hands on. Players and media alike had to be huddled in the middle of the pitch to avoid debris and flying bottles. As police fired water canons and tear gas into the crowd, the rioting moved outside the Monumental where cars were set alight and further clashes with authorities played out well into the night. Whether orchestrated by River’s barra brava or born from fan despair, this violence is shameful and puts an unfortunate stain on Argentine football just days before the Copa kicks off in the country.

Now to the football. Only the disillusioned will say they did not see this coming. Despite this campaign’s respectable showings in both the Apertura (2010) and Clausura (2011), River has been found wanting over the past three years. This cumulative struggle left a young squad fighting against the three-year points-averaging system, and that pressure was clearly too much. They collected a mere three points from their final seven regular season matches, and therefore, found themselves facing the playoff.

River’s greatest weakness has been their inability to score. As demonstrated in their two games against Belgrano, the attacking front of Mariano Pavone and Leandro Caruso have averaged a meager solitary goal per 105 minutes. With the creative impetus placed almost entirely on Erik Lamela, it is no wonder River have struggled to find the back of the net. Lamela is an undoubted prodigy, but still too young to shoulder an entire club’s attacking prowess. Perhaps the Nacional B will prove an appropriate arena to refine the attacking talents of some the younger River players?

This may prove to be the silver lining to relegation. As a young team, the Nacional B might be the right environment for these boys to gain confidence should they taste the success of a winning season. There will certainly be departures of the big names. Malaga-bound Diego Buonanotte has already put pen-to-paper. Lamela will almost certainly move on with a host of European clubs already casting covetous glances. Short term signees Juan Pablo Carrizo and Pavone will not be renewing their links to the club. So this will leave ample room for the young starlets to lead River back to the Primera. Keep in mind, this is the club whose famed academy produced icons such as Di Stéfano and Sívori. Do not be surprised to see the likes of Manuel Lanzini, Daniel Villalva and the aforementioned Funes Mori come of age in the second tier.

However, this silver lining may prove to be insignificant should the club fail to overcome the financial ramifications of relegation. River’s massive debt is no secret and the hugely reduced TV earnings of the second division will cause further complications. River earned $25 million pesos a season in the Primera, but they’ll be lucky to scrape together $3 million next season. Match-day revenue will also drop. Who is going to pay Primera prices to watch Nacional B football? These financial woes will have to be carefully navigated by River’s board, which unfortunately, has done little to inspire confidence as of late.

So as both the literal and historic dust continues to settle outside El Monumental, it’s difficult to discern the future of one of Argentina’s most prestigious clubs. On one hand, relegation might prove to be just what the club needs to revamp and redefine itself. Or, on the other side, it may be the beginning of the proverbial end. Yet regardless of what’s to come, the truth of the day is that history will forever reflect 26 June, 2011 as the day River Plate’s century-long run in the Primera came to a crashing halt.