Chronicle of a fed-up situation: one by one, all the blows that shook Boca and sparked the anger against Riquelme and the Football Council.

They were idols in shorts, heroes of Boca's greatest feats. However, the bronze they once earned is beginning to fade with time. Especially in these last six years, when they decided to step down from the poster and take charge of Boca's football. And they must have been encyclopedic players, especially Juan Román Riquelme. However, on the other side of the scoreboard, the administration being led by the president and his Football Council is going through its worst moment with the fans.

The discontent of the crowd who demonstrated at various points in La Bombonera, with the exception of a typically pro-government fan base, didn't incubate in the ninety minutes against Lanús. And the image of the "Commission" may be generic, but it's a message for Riquelme. It's also a message for those who supported him during his time as a distinguished number 10 in the blue and gold jersey: Alfredo Raúl Cascini, Marcelo Delgado, and Mauricio Serna.

With the team already qualified for the quarterfinals of the Apertura Tournament, three games away from being crowned champion, any unsuspecting candidate could fall into the trap of complacency. And while it's also true that going from 24 years of purely pro-Macrista leadership to one with Kirchnerist traits generates tension due to ideological differences, the numbers are indisputable . So, there are plenty of reasons to explain the anger expressed in the stands, which until now has been divided on social media.

In six years of management, four as Jorge Amor Ameal's vice president and one and a half as president, Boca won half a dozen titles: the 2019/2020 Superliga, the 2021 Maradona Cup, the 2021 Copa Argentina, the 2022 Liga Profesional and Copa de la Liga, and the 2023 Supercopa Argentina. If the statistics are limited specifically to the time in which Román was the highest authority, the number drops abruptly: they have not yet managed to shout champion.

In that same period, 512 days since Riquelme defeated Andrés Ibarra in the elections, the team reached the final of the coveted Libertadores, losing to Fluminense in Rio de Janeiro, but failed to qualify for the last two Copas, a blow to its fans. In 2024, it participated in the Sudamericana, failing to even finish first in its group and being eliminated in the round of 16 by Cruzeiro. This year, it couldn't even play in the second continental tournament: Alianza Lima eliminated it on penalties at La Bombonera.

They reached this phase 2 by way of the general table and by failing to win the Copa Argentina, Fernando Gago's first blow. Few will forget the defeat against Vélez in Córdoba, a match Boca had been leading 3-2 but ended up losing 4-3 in the final whistle.

There was a summer of Superclásicos, with penalty shootout victories in the 2021 Copa de la Liga when River Plate had to play with youth players due to Covid-19 and in the round of 16 of the 2021 Copa Argentina, in addition to last year's 3-2 victory in the 2024 Copa de la Liga. And in 2022, they won both regular derbies. However, the tables turned. Once again.

Marcelo Gallardo's team took away their one-year unbeaten run at La Bombonera on the day of Sergio Romero's scandal with the fans, and ended Gago's tenure on April 27. It was the third strike for the coach, who ended up being fired.

The numbers are unfavorable against their red-band rival: from 2019 to the present, they've faced each other 11 times, with River Plate winning 5 and Boca Juniors 3 (the rest, obviously, being draws). If the statistics are extended to the rest of the traditional big teams (Racing, Independiente, and San Lorenzo), it's even worse: they've only won 10 of 42 matches.

There's a meme circulating on social media stating that it took less time to choose Pope Francis's (Leo XIV) successor than Gago's replacement . It's been two weeks since Pintita 's dismissal and there's still no indication of who the new coach will be. And while Gabriel Milito's name was mentioned strongly, no one called him. Román himself confirmed it publicly. Mariano Herrón, then, will continue in the interim position until the end of the Apertura Tournament, something that neither the fans nor the players like.

Managers are increasingly short-lived at Boca Juniors. Miguel Angel Russo (67 matches), Sebastián Battaglia (57), Hugo Ibarra (36), Jorge Almirón (43), Diego Martínez (45), and Gago (30) were Riquelme's picks. The former lasted almost 70 matches. The latter didn't even make it halfway. This is a testament to the fact that patience is increasingly limited.

The coaches don't have the final say. Román is the one who calls the shots. The case of Alan Velasco is a testament to that. The president sought him out last year, but only finalized his arrival this summer. He spent $10 million, and there were plenty of disagreements with Gago because the coach didn't consider him as a starter. What's more, he never asked for him. Even so, he played him in 12 matches, some coming off the bench. After Pintita was sacked, Herrón included him in the starting lineup, and he still hasn't worked out.

That's why the whistles that spread during the lineup announcement on Saturday had a double meaning. When Velasco was mentioned, they hissed. And the message was for Román. The same happened with Tomás Belmonte ( "Boca's most intelligent player," according to the president) and with Marco Rojo, who is the captain in Edinson Cavani's absence. In this case, the defender was repudiated because after losing to River Plate, he declared that the squad "is not indebted to the people." During the week, he had to back down in flip-flops on the club's official channel.

With an average age of nearly 30, the squad lacks freshness, and the fans made it known. The rallying cry against the players goes beyond Riquelme. The "let them all go, let not one remain" message, on the other hand, appeals to him.

There were injuries from players who left for free or due to conflict: Nahuel Molina, Valentín Barco, Agustín Rossi, Equi Fernández, Nicolás Valentini, and Cristian Medina, among others.

Another reason fans are scared off is the Riquelme narrative and his statements, which seem taken from a parallel reality . The campaign slogan "the club belongs to the members," which demonized the SADs and linked them to the Macri administration, which committed unforced errors, worked. Many members supported the idea of ​​a social club because of the club's successes in amateur sports and the facelift of the Bombonera, which looked gleaming with paint.

However, the new stadium remains a debt. Riquelme said: "I will never knock on the neighbors' door to ask them to leave." So far, only unofficial information has emerged that an expansion for 80,000 spectators is planned and that construction would begin in 2026.

But what irritates most is Román's justification for each elimination. When he was out of politics, he once said that "one Copa Libertadores is worth 10 local tournaments." Since becoming a manager, he has downplayed these issues. In his last public appearance, he stated: "I tell the fans that I love them. We just finished first in our group; on goal difference, we finished second—behind Argentinos Juniors—but first... It means we earned more points than everyone else. It hurts not to play in the Copa, but we finished first."

It wouldn't seem to be enough for a mass of fans who have grown accustomed to doing more laps of honor than living with sadness for the past half century.