September 06, (THEWILL) – There was confusion at about the 8th minute of the South American Football Association (CONMEBOL) World Cup qualifiers against perennial football rivals Brazil and Argentina on Monday after the match was interrupted by Brazilian health officials.
It was not immediately obvious what was happening as play was held up with what initially appeared to be a pitch-side melee but it became clear after a while as the police joined the health officials on the sidelines to demand for a set of Argentine players who they said breached Brazil’s quarantine protocols.
Before the confusion began, Argentina came into the Arena Corinthians Sao Paulo stadium in Brazil hoping to close the six points gap between them and CONMEBOL qualifying leading side Brazil and return to winning ways against the Selecao, whom they had not beaten in four meetings since 2005.
Brazil had not conceded a single goal in their last four matches as manager Tite’s defensive organisation was compact and they had Neymar at the other third dictating play and keeping them spry and nimble in attack.
Lionel Messi was certified fit to feature with no consequence from the horrifying tackle he received from Venezuelan Adrian Martinez in their previous fixture, which earned the centre back a sending off. The game was on with the early incursions attempted from both sides when the confusion began.
Play was halted just at the 8th minute for what initially seemed to be an exchange between players in an off-the-ball incident on the sidelines. Then, as things cleared, it was noticed that Brazil’s health authorities came onto the pitch and were speaking to both Casemiro and Neymar.
Not long after, Argentina’s squad came off the pitch in an early indication that play was suspended albeit temporarily. As discussions continued live on the pitch where a FIFA qualifying tie was meant to be ongoing, the referee got involved while the Argentina side went to the dressing room.
The target of the health agency, Anvisa, was a quartet of Argentine players who arrived from the English Premier League, three of whom, in the persons of Lo Celso, Emiliano Martinez and Romero, were on the pitch, and all of whom were in breach of the country’s health and safety protocols.
According to the agency, they broke Brazilian COVID-19 quarantine rules by not quarantining for 14 days after arriving from the UK. Anvisa said the four lied on their immigration forms about their quarantine status. A statement from the agency read:
“Anvisa considers the situation a serious health risk and so has asked local health authorities to determine the immediate quarantine of the players, who are stopped from participating in any activity and should be prevented from remaining on Brazilian soil.”
Federal police accompanied these health officials onto the pitch in an apparent attempt to locate the players. Meanwhile, left without much to do, the Brazil squad that remained idle on the side of the field attempted to keep warm by stretching and juggling.
Soon after, even the referee and match officials left the field of play. Only the Brazilians continued wandering around the pitch, speaking to delegates and members of their technical staff.
While a resolution will be expected from CONMEBOL about the way forward through forfeiture against Argentina or a rescheduling, questions persist as to why a pitch interruption was necessary. For instance, why did the Brazilian authorities wait until the match started to take this action given that Argentina’s players have been in Brazil for three days already.
And the Argentines can be queried as well. Because it will be good to know why Argentina’s federation allowed the four players to travel to Brazil given the country’s strict COVID-19 quarantining protocols. Were those rules communicated clearly to the federation and players?
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
