Covid chaos in Brazil as health authorities DETAIN Premier League quartet playing for Argentina DURING the match after they failed to comply with quarantine rules
Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Argentina has been sensationally suspended after authorities stormed the pitch to detain several Premier League players.
According to several reports, Tottenham’s Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez and Emi Buendia were sought by the Brazilian authorities for allegedly failing to follow the country’s Covid-19 quarantine protocols.
The players reportedly did not quarantine as is required for entrants into Brazil from the UK, although CONMEBOL is said to have understood that the players were exempt from quarantining.
Health authorities stormed the pitch in Brazil versus Argentina to detain four Premier League players
However, mere minutes after kick-off on Sunday, the health authorities flooded onto the pitch to stop Romero, Lo Celso and Martinez from playing. Buendia was on the substitute’s bench.
After much confusion and chaos, Argentina walked off the pitch.
The incident occurred just hours after Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa said four Argentine players must isolate and could not play in the match.
The three were among four Argentine players who play in England’s Premier League.
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.
Brazil’s health regulator were tipped off the four did not state that information on their immigration forms and on Sunday said they confirmed the details given were ‘false’.
‘Anvisa considers the situation a serious health risk and so has asked local health authorities to determine the immediate quarantine of the players, who are stopped from participating in any activity and should be prevented from remaining on Brazilian soil,’ Anvisa said in a statement.
Nevertheless, no action was taken and the three, along with Buendia, were allowed to travel with the Argentine team from the hotel 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 are 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.
They would have to quarantine on return and the clubs do not want to lose their players for subsequent league games.
Aston Villa said the two Emilianos had agreed to return to their club after the Brazil game and miss Argentina’s game against Bolivia on Tuesday. The Argentine Football Association, however, said they would play all three games.
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.