Argentina suspended professional football tournaments on Friday within the framework of a nine-day confinement due to the worsening of the pandemic in the country, which should host the Copa América 2021 and could even be the sole venue after the exclusion of Colombia.
“In order to accompany the health measures announced by President Alberto Fernández aimed at combating the second wave of the pandemic COVID-19 that we are experiencing, the Argentine Soccer Association (AFA) has decided to suspend the programming of matches in all the local competitions that it organizes from 8:00 p.m. today (Friday) until Sunday, May 30, 2021 inclusive, “he reported in a statement.
When announcing Thursday the closure of activities for nine days, President Alberto Fernández said that Argentina “is going through the worst moment of the pandemic”, with a daily average of 27 thousand cases and almost 500 deaths in the last week.
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The country of 45 million inhabitants will enter strict confinement this Saturday until Monday, May 31, the day when it will return to current restrictions. The government has already ordered, in addition, another total closure of activities for the weekend of June 5 and 6.
“We must take seriously the criticism of this time and not naturalize so much tragedy. We must assume gravity. This is not a time for speculation, no one has the right to want to take advantage of this, we must unite to overcome this catastrophe,” warned the president.
No football in Argentina
The suspension of football it will affect all competitions. In the first division tournament, only three games remain to define the League Cup champion.
The semifinals Colón-Racing Club and Boca-Independiente were to be played this weekend in the city of San Juan (west), while the final was to be played on Sunday 30 in Santiago del Estero (north). prior to the South American World Cup qualifying matches Qatar 2022 and the Copa América.
Argentina, captained by star Lionel Messi, will play its knockout matches on June 3 and 8 and Albiceleste will remain focused to face the maximum continental tournament of national teams.
Argentina initially shared the organization of the Copa América 2021 with Colombia, but the latter was excluded by Conmebol, which rejected Bogotá’s request to postpone the tournament due to the demonstrations in the country.
The start of the Copa América is scheduled for June 13 and will run until July 10.
President Fernández had doubted the realization of the sporting event in Argentina, but days ago he changed his position and said that the country would be willing to host all the games in the event that Colombia desisted from being one of the venues.
The condition that he set is that it be done without the public and with guarantees of complying with strict anticovid protocols.
“Regarding the Copa América, I think that an effort should be made to avoid doing it here. Life comes first,” said union member Hugo Moyano, president of the Independiente club, who supported the decision to suspend Argentine soccer.
Numerous footballers and professional soccer teams were affected by the covid in recent weeks, including several in teams that play the Libertadores and Sudamericana cups.
The most emblematic case was that of River Plate from Argentina, which suffered a massive contagion of more than 25 players in its squad.
Thus the “millionaire” team had only 11 players, among whom there was no goalkeeper, to face the Colombian Independiente Santa Fe last Tuesday for the fifth date of Group D. Without substitutes and with the midfielder Enzo Pérez under the three sticks, River won a 2-1 victory.
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