On Monday morning, the topic through out River’s training grounds was Ariel Ortega. The team continued to practice in its usual Monday routine, but without the River idol. When Ariel finally showed up, he was rejected to train by Coach Leonardo Astrada. In an effort to convince Ariel to get help, River’s coach decided to have talks behind closed doors.
All talks lasted one hour and a half, with Leonardo Astrada, Hernan Diaz, Javier Sodero, and Matias Almeyda giving Ariel a good chat. The goal for everyone in the meeting was for Ariel to check himself into an alcoholic rehabilitation program once again. Hearing the same old story many times, Ariel left the training grounds in an angry mood. He stormed out, ignoring all the media that was present, and vowed to return for Tuesday’s training session.
Admitting to having a problem is probably on the hardest things to do, regardless of who it is. In the past, Ariel has encountered problem with alcohol. The last time it affected his career in River, was with then-coach Diego Simeone. Ariel was relegated to play in second-division club, Independiente of Rivadavia in Mendoza. That did not turn out good for Ariel and he returned to River a year later. Only time will tell if Ariel comes back or retires from football altogether.
