A World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina has been suspended in farcical circumstances on Sunday.
Brazilian health officials took to the field to object to the participation of three Argentine players they say broke COVID-19 quarantine rules.
Officials from Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa walked onto the pitch at the Corinthians arena and stopped the game around five minutes after kick-off.
The players were surprised at the encroachment and the Argentines quickly left the field, although the two coaches, along with Argentina captain Lionel Messi and Brazilian players, gathered at the side of the pitch a few moments later to discuss the stoppage.
“Why did they start the game and stop it after five minutes?” Messi said in comments heard on television.
“We’ve been here at the stadium for an hour, they could have told us.”
Messi then returned to the dressing room and at 5pm local time, an hour after the game kicked off, the match was officially suspended.
“The referee and the match official will take a report to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee and they will decide what steps to take,” said a statement issued by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).
The incident occurred just hours after Anvisa had said four Argentine players must isolate and could not play in the match.
The three who started the game, Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso and Emiliano Martinez, were among four Argentine players who play in England’s Premier League.
Brazilian Football Confederation president said he was “indignant” with the scenes that reverberated around the football world.
Ednaldo Rodrigues criticised Anvisa and said officials told him the Argentines who breached the country’s COVID-19 rules could have been deported after the game.
“I feel sorry for all the sports fans who wanted to watch the game on television,” he told Brazil’s Sportv.
“With all due respect to Anvisa, they could have resolved this earlier and not waited for the game to start.”
A shellshocked Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni agreed.
“It makes me so sad, I am not looking for guilty parties, whatever happened or didn’t happen, this wasn’t the time to do it,” he told Argentine broadcaster TyC Sports.
“We wanted to enjoy a game between the best in the world and it ends up like this.”
“As a coach I am going to defend my players. If people come and say we want to take this guy or deport this guy there was no chance of that,” he said. “Because at no time were we told we couldn’t play the game.”
Under Brazilian rules, visitors who have been in the UK in the 14 days before entering the country must quarantine for 14 days on arrival.
Anvisa were tipped off the four did not state that information on their immigration forms and on Sunday morning they confirmed the details given were “false”.
Nevertheless, the three players, along with Emiliano Buendia, were allowed to travel to the Corinthians arena.
The confusion comes amid continuing anger in South America at rules which have robbed several teams of key players for this month’s three World Cup qualifiers.
Brazil were without nine key men for Argentina game, and other South American sides have also lost players due to a decision by some European clubs not to let their players travel to the continent.
Brazil currently lead the South American qualifying group for Qatar 2022, six points ahead of second-placed Argentina.
The top four qualify automatically for Qatar 2022.
Kent Dorfman
Roar Rookie
hahaha what a joke
Ferno
Guest
Reminds me Barnaby Joyce treating to terminate Johnny Depp´s dogs. Expecting a tweet from Brazilian health authorities: Dogs are gone!
NoMates
Roar Rookie
Reminds me of South Melb games back in the 80s and 90s
Anthony Ferguson
Guest
Your point 3 is particularly pertinent. Come on, everybody knows who the 3-4 Argentine EPL players are. You telling us this couldn't have been sorted well before the players took the field? This reflects very badly on the Brazilian football federation and the government. Brazil should be seriously punished for this farce. Points reduction at least. Some will argue they should be kicked out of the world cup, but that won't happen. Disgraceful behaviour.
Ferno
Guest
I am also Brazilian, so I can say thing you guys can´t. Thing is: nobody take brazilian authorities seriously: 1- There is a FIFA determination that states a team from a country with restrictions to the entry of foreigner players should not play their games at home, but instead, in some place where every player can enter (like Aus has done). despite the mandate quarantine rule of brazilian authorities, the confederation confirmed the game in brazilian territory hoping they would find a way (an exception). Laws in Brazil use to be seen as flexible. This time was not. 2 - The Argentinian players that provided false information at immigration are criminals. But in Brazil that dosen´t mean a lot. Nothing will happen to them. 3 - Brazilian authorities took to long to do something. It should be solved well before the game. It seems to me that they would like to perform a show in front of the cameras to the whole world. All that is very sad. And goes well beyond football.