Argentina captain Lionel Messi said he was disappointed by the decision by Brazilian health officials to suspend Sunday’s World Cup qualifiers after the start of the match.
Just five minutes after the kickoff at the Corinthians Arena in Sओo Paulo, health officials entered the pitch to announce that the game could not continue because four players from the Argentine Premier League had violated the country’s protocol of segregation.
“Listen to us, we’re here [in Brazil] for three days,” Messi said on the pitch, listening to his comments on television. “They were waiting for the game to start here? Why didn’t they warn us before?”
Brazil’s health regulator, Anvisa, has claimed that Argentine internationals Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Giovanni Lo Celso and Emiliano Buendia have twice violated health protocols.
Lo Celso, Romero and Martinez were included in Argentina’s starting lineup. According to Brazilian rules, those entering the country from the UK must be kept separate for 14 days upon arrival.
In a statement, Anvisa accused the players of providing “incorrect” information on their health types and considered their presence in Brazil a “serious health risk” and advised the players to be isolated immediately.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) was “completely surprised” by Sunday’s incident and said in a statement that Avinsa could have acted “a few days ago” rather than after the game started.
“The CBF expressed disappointment over the incident and is awaiting a decision from Conmbol and FIFA regarding the game,” a statement said.
Avinas director Antonio Barra Torres claimed that the players in question were notified before the game that they would have to be separated and that they did not.
He said, “They had to stay in the hotel until they returned to their country, but instead they went to the stadium to play games.” “We informed the players that they had to follow these rules. They didn’t.”
Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), whose team returned to Buenos Aires on Monday morning, said his players had complied with all health rules set by CONMEBOL.
He said in a tweet on Sunday: “As AFA president, I am very sorry to have suspended what was a party for South American football.
“The current CONMEBOL health law has always guided us. We are awaiting the decision of FIFA’s disciplinary court.”
He added: “Four people interrupted the game for something we didn’t understand.
“There is a health law by which all competitions are played, in which the authorities of each country approve a protocol implemented and signed by 10 organizations and we abide by it. What happened is unfortunate for football. Too bad image for the world.”
On Monday, the AFA also announced that Martinez and Buendia have been dropped from the national team, meaning they will not take part in Friday’s qualifier against Bolivia.
FIFA said in a statement on Monday that it had received official reports of the first match and that “a decision will be made in due course.”
Infantino said in a video address to the General Assembly of the European Club Association: “We saw what happened in the match between Brazil and Argentina, the two most prestigious teams in South America. But we need to address these challenges, the issues that come with the Covid crisis. ”
Qatar leads Brazil in the South American qualifying group for 2022, six points ahead of second-placed Argentina. Brazil will play next when they host Peru on Thursday, while Argentina will welcome Bolivia.
