Argentina soccer chaos over Brazil quarantine row – KIRO 7 News Seattle

They were intruders on the field for good reason, they claimed, facing players just seven minutes after Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Argentina.

While Argentine grandmaster Lionel Messi and Brazilian star Neymar watched, qualification was interrupted on Sunday and chaos ensued.

Four Argentine players from English Premier League clubs were accused by agents of the Brazilian health authority Anvisa of violating the coronavirus restriction rules by failing to declare upon arrival in Brazil that they had been in England within the last 14 days.

But why did it take Anvisa until Sunday to intervene directly, considering how well known the players are and how well known their moves seem to have been?

THE TRIP

Even before the Aston Villa players Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia and the Tottenham duo Giovanni Lo Celso and Cristian Romero flew to South America, the focus was on trips from England.

The focus initially was on the UK’s requirements for anyone returning from South America to be placed in a mandatory hotel quarantine for 10 days. The Premier League clubs collectively agreed that no one would travel to CONMEBOL’s matches, opposing an order from FIFA that governs both world football – giving it the power to enforce the release of players for their countries – and the World championships organized, which finance the governing body of sport.

The plea by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to free the players from quarantine after traveling to countries on the so-called “Red List” was rejected by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

But Villa eventually allowed his players to go to South America on condition that they only play in two of Argentina’s three games. This was designed to cut down on the amount of time players would miss at their villa employer.

“We believe this plan respects long-established drafting rules and weighs the importance that top players attach to representing their country in important games in the best interests of Aston Villa,” the club said.

But Tottenham never said anything about approving the trip for Lo Celso and Romero.

THE ARRIVAL

The Argentine team arrived in Brazil from Caracas last Friday morning, where they had beaten Venezuela 3-1 the night before. Now the focus is on whether – as the Brazilian health authority claims – the quartet has not notified immigration officials that they have been in the UK for the past two weeks. The UK is on the Brazil Red List due to the high number of COVID-19 cases.

A document from the Sao Paulo State Health Secretariat received by The Associated Press states that the organization received the first rumors of misrepresentation gamblers arriving just before midnight, about 15 hours after leaving the airport To enter the country.

The same document states that Fernando Ariel Batista filled out the forms for all players. Batista, the coach of the Argentine U20 national team, refused to fill out the forms or to travel to Brazil on Monday.

The presence of the four England-based players in the squad was as well known as the fact that they had played in the Premier League last weekend. Anvisa informed Brazilian and Argentine football officials for the first time on Saturday morning that the players had apparently given false information when they arrived in Brazil.

Instead of deporting the players, as Anvisa found, quarantine was recommended. According to the Sao Paulo state document, Argentina was also advised to seek last-minute approval from the Brazilian government.

A separate document received from the Brazilian Ministry of Health by the AP states that the latest request for quarantine exemption for the players was denied at 3:09 p.m. on Sunday – 51 minutes before kick-off. The decision went to Alejandro Dominguez, President of the South American football association CONMEBOL.

According to the document signed by the joint executive secretary of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Alessandro de Vasconcelos, “in view of the precautionary principle, measures for exceptional entry into the country must be taken before boarding (flights to Brazil), which in this case has been ignored”. “We recommend that the four athletes stay in quarantine at the hotel in order to comply with current health regulations in Brazil.”

Despite media coverage calling into question the players’ freedom of play, the game began with Lo Celso and Romero and Martinez in action. The game lasted just seven minutes before Anvisa officials stepped onto the field to remove the four players in question.

How much did the FIFA match delegate know about the quarantine dispute with the Brazilian authorities and could there have been an intervention to stop the arguing players? The FIFA Disciplinary Committee will now analyze the reports from the match delegate and the referee.

Brazil stayed on the pitch under the guidance of the coach and the team held a training session. Argentina went back to its locker room and stayed there for hours before heading straight to the airport.

THE SUSPENDED GAME

When the game was abandoned, it was 0-0. CONMEBOL says it has been suspended and not abandoned. But it is clear that the game will not resume this week – with more games on Thursday night for the teams. Should Argentina be at fault, Brazil will likely be awarded a 3-0 victory, which will help them qualify for next year’s World Cup in Qatar.

“The game could have continued, the interruption was a decision made by the sports officials,” said Anvisa director Alex Campos. “Argentina tried to put pressure on the Brazilian authorities and decided to leave if they didn’t have these players.”

THE POLICE

The Brazilian federal police announced on Monday that they are investigating the four players for allegedly providing false information when they arrived in Sao Paulo. They were allowed to return to Buenos Aires on the night of Sunday after a written declaration.

The Brazilian chief of staff said in a statement it had not received any requests for exemptions for Argentine players. A contradicting point is who should have requested the exemptions – the hosts or the visitors.

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AP Sports Writer Mauricio Savarese in São Paulo contributed to this report.

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