River Plate fans erupted in anger at the Monumental Stadium following a one-nil defeat to Rosario Central in the third round of the Clausura 2026 tournament, in a scene that laid bare the depth of the crisis engulfing the historic club.
Jeers and chants demanding everyone's departure
Tension crackled through the Monumental from the opening moments. When the stadium announcer read out the players' names, several drew loud jeers. Eduardo Coudet copped the fans' anger too, though the criticism aimed at the manager was relatively less intense.
Friendly fire settled the match. Nicolás Otamendi turned the ball into his own net, and the own goal set the stands alight. Fans belted out their famous chant, "Move, River, move...", before it curdled into deafening jeers at the end of the first half.
River had chances to level. Instead, a dangerous counter-attack led by Giovani Cantizano nearly doubled Rosario Central's advantage, and that was the spark that set off the stands.
Chants rose from every corner to take in the players and the board, before peaking with a unified cry: "They must all leave". At the final whistle, the jeers were louder than ever.
"Ramón Díaz" returns to the fore
Out in the corridors and hallways, a group of fans repeated a striking chant: "Let us all call for Ramón to return...", a reference to the historic manager Ramón Díaz, who has been without a club since leaving Brazil's Internacional last year.
Díaz boasts a distinguished record at River Plate across three spells: 1995-1999, 2001-2002, then 2012-2014. He claimed seven domestic titles and two continental ones during that time, most notably the Copa Libertadores in 1996.
Five consecutive defeats: the worst in the club's history
This defeat was River Plate's fifth in a row in Argentine Football Association competitions, the worst run in their professional-era history. It began with the Apertura final loss to Belgrano, then continued with the Superclásico defeat to arch-rivals Boca Juniors.
Discontent among the Millonarios faithful stretches back to the end of last year, when the team fell short of expectations even with Marcelo Gallardo still at the helm. The start of 2026 brought the sacking of the club's most successful manager, with Eduardo Coudet stepping in, but results kept sliding despite the team reaching the Apertura final.
River Plate's board in the dock
Anger did not stop at the technical staff and players. It reached the current board, which took charge last November. Fans held them responsible for the slump, slamming "the exorbitant price paid for signings that did not provide the desired addition", along with what they described as "the mistreatment of the container outcasts".
Never before has the new board faced this volume of criticism and hostile chants since arriving at the club, a warning sign of an administrative and technical crisis that could rock the stability of one of the most storied clubs on the Latin continent.