2023 UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge
The 2023 UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge (Spanish: UEFA–CONMEBOL Desafío de Clubes 2023), named Antonio Puerta XII in honour of the former Sevilla player who died in 2007, was the inaugural edition of the UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge, a one-off friendly football match organised by UEFA and CONMEBOL between the reigning champions of the UEFA Europa League and Copa Sudamericana. UEFA was in charge of the main organization of the first edition.
 The Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in Seville hosted the match | |||||||
| Event | UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Sevilla won 4–1 on penalties | |||||||
| Date | 19 July 2023 | ||||||
| Venue | Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Seville | ||||||
| Referee | Rade Obrenović (Slovenia)[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 19,407[2] | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny 36 °C (97 °F)[1] | ||||||
The UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge was officially launched on 7 July 2023 as part of the UEFA–CONMEBOL memorandum of understanding.[3][4]
The single match was played on 19 July 2023 at Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in Seville, Spain, between Spanish club Sevilla, the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League winners and Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle, the 2022 Copa Sudamericana winners.[5]
Background
The match was announced by UEFA and CONMEBOL as a pilot edition.[3] This was the first meeting between a Spanish and an Ecuadorian club representing UEFA and CONMEBOL, respectively. The match was, at the same time, the twelfth edition of the Antonio Puerta Trophy, an annual football match hosted by Sevilla dedicated to its former player Antonio Puerta, who died in 2007 at the age of 22 following a cardiac arrest, during the inaugural match of the 2007–08 La Liga season between Sevilla and Getafe.[6] The official nature of the match was initially not entirely clear;[7] CONMEBOL considered it an official match,[8] however, UEFA considered it as a friendly due to the unlimited substitutions agreed by both clubs.[9]
Sevilla won the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League on 31 May 2023, defeating Italian side Roma 4–1 penalties following a 1–1 draw after extra time in the final, making it a record of seven UEFA Cup/Europa League titles for the Sevillians.[10] For its part, Independiente del Valle won their second Copa Sudamericana title by beating Brazilian side São Paulo 2–0 in the final of the 2022 Copa Sudamericana held on 1 October 2022.[11]
In the run-up to the match, Sevilla were in pre-season preparations ahead of their 2023–24 campaign, while Independiente del Valle were in the middle of their 2023 season, having won the first stage of the 2023 Ecuadorian Serie A looking ahead to their round of 16 tie against Colombia's Deportivo Pereira in the 2023 Copa Libertadores.[9]
Teams
| Team | Qualification |
|---|---|
 Sevilla |
2022–23 UEFA Europa League winners |
 Independiente del Valle |
2022 CONMEBOL Sudamericana winners |
Pre-match
Officials
The refereeing team for this edition was appointed by UEFA.[5]
Squads
Sevilla named a 30-man squad for a training camp to be held from 9 to 19 July 2023, including the UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge match.[12]
Independiente del Valle traveled with 23 players to its mid-season tour in Spain, which, in addition to the UEFA–CONMEBOL Club Challenge match, included meetings with Orlando Pirates and Getafe.[13][14] Players Kendry Páez, Patrick Mercado and Yaimar Medina were expected to join the team after their participation in the U-20 Copa Libertadores, but ultimately did not do so by decision of their team.[15]
Match
Details
          Sevilla
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    Independiente del Valle
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Assistant referees:[1]
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Match rules
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Notes
- Each team was given only three opportunities to make substitutions, excluding substitutions made at half-time.
References
- "Sevilla v Independiente del Valle – Match info". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- "Sevilla vs. Independiente del Valle" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- "UEFA and CONMEBOL launch Club Challenge between winners of UEFA Europa League and CONMEBOL Sudamericana". UEFA. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- "La UEFA y la CONMEBOL lanzan el Desafío de Clubes 2023" [UEFA and CONMEBOL launch the 2023 Club Challenge] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- "El UEFA CONMEBOL Desafío de Clubes 2023: Todo lo que necesitas saber" [UEFA CONMEBOL 2023 Club Challenge: all you need to know] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- "Especial Trofeo Antonio Puerta: campeón Europa League vs campeón Copa Sudamericana" [Antonio Puerta Trophy Special: Europa League champion vs. Copa Sudamericana champion] (in Spanish). Marca. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- Espina, José A. (17 July 2023). "Club Challenge 'caos': Conmebol lo ve oficial y UEFA, amistoso" [Club Challenge 'chaos': Conmebol sees it as official and UEFA as friendly] (in Spanish). Diario AS. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- CONMEBOL [@Sudamericana] (12 July 2023). "¡Lo que hay que saber del UEFA CONMEBOL Desafío de Clubes!" [What you need to know about the UEFA CONMEBOL Club Challenge!] (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2023 – via Twitter.
- "Sevilla vs Independiente del Valle UEFA CONMEBOL Club Challenge preview". UEFA. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- Pettit, Mark (31 May 2023). "Sevilla 1–1 Roma (aet, Sevilla win 4–1 on penalties): Bounou the spot-kick hero for serial winners". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- "Independiente del Valle, bicampeón de la CONMEBOL Sudamericana" [Independiente del Valle, two-time champion of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana] (in Spanish). CONMEBOL. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- "Traveling group named for the pre-season camp Montecastillo". www.sevillafc.es. Sevilla FC. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- "Estos son los partidos y convocados de Independiente del Valle para su gira por Europa" [These are Independiente del Valle's fixtures and call-ups for their European tour] (in Spanish). El Universo. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- "El Negriazul anunció la lista de jugadores y los partidos que disputarán durante su viaje a España" (in Spanish). Olé. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- "IDV: Kendry Páez y Patrik Mercado no irán a España" [IDV: Kendry Paez and Patrik Mercado will not go to Spain] (in Spanish). El Telégrafo. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.