The Brazil-Argentina, game in the qualifying phase for the 2022 World Cup, was interrupted shortly after the kick-off after indication by the watchmen of Anvisa, the National Health Surveillance Agency of Brazil.
At 5 minutes of the game, a group of agents from Anvisa and the Federal Police approached the game delegate and the meeting was paralyzed.
The radical decision was later justified by the CEO of Anvisa. “There are four players. When they arrive in national territory, they present the traveler’s health declaration. In this document it did not say that they went through one of the three countries that are restricted, precisely to contain the pandemic. But later it was found that they passed through the United Kingdom», said Antonio Barra Torres, quoted by Globoesporte, referring to Emiliano Martínez (West Ham), Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa), Giovani Lo Celso (Tottenham) and Cristian Romero (Tottenham ).
«We reached this point because everything that Anvisa guided, from the first moment, was not fulfilled. They were instructed to remain isolated to await deportation. But it was not fulfilled. They went to the stadium, entered the field, there is a sequence of breaches. (…) The first offense was not complying with isolation, the previous one in answering reliably to the traveler’s questionnaire, and now they are playing. With more than 500 thousand dead, in the middle of the pandemic, the orders are to be carried out at the behest of I don’t know who», added the official.
According to the authorities, the players in question did not report, in the response to the questionnaire, their visit to England, which was understood as a violation of health regulations in force in Brazil. Despite this, quotes the Brazilian press, received the green light from CONMEBOL and CBF to be able to be in the game.
This is after Anvisa notified the Federer Police for false statements of the four athletes.
Brazilian law determines a mandatory 14-day quarantine for foreigners who have been in the UK in the last 14 days, which happened with the aforementioned players representing West Ham, Aston Villa and Tottenham.
However, at 21:00 Portuguese time, one hour after the kick-off, CONMEBOL announced the suspension of the game as indicated by the referee. The body explained that now the decision is in the hands of FIFA, which will determine the steps to be followed.
By decision of the match referee, the match organized by FIFA between Brazil and Argentina for the World Cup Qualifiers is suspended.
— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL)
September 5, 2021
While the game is suspended, Brazil took the opportunity to play a game between starters and non-starters in midfield with some audience watching at Arena Corinthians.
(in update)
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