Brazil vs Argentina abandoned LIVE: Messi and co fly to Buenos Aires as health chiefs invade pitch to DEPORT Prem stars

PELE CONCERN

Football legend Pele has been hospitalised with an undisclosed health problem.

The 80-year-old is said to not be seriously ill, but has been inside for six days now.

The Globo news site said Pele was undergoing routine examinations in Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein Hospital when the undisclosed issue was detected.

Pele’s business manager Joe Fraga said there was no cause for concern.

The scare came a few days after Pele was forced to refute reports he had fainted.

TAPIA TALKS

The President of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia has also spoken: “What happened today is unfortunate for football, it is a very bad image. 

“Four people entered to interrupt the game to make a notification and CONMEBOL asked the players to go to the locker room.

“You cannot talk about any lie here because there is health legislation under which all South American tournaments are played.

“The health authorities of each country approved protocol that we have been fully complying with.”

TRAFFIC SHAM

Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Argentina was suspended after seven minutes because health chiefs had been ‘stuck in TRAFFIC’, according to reports.

The crunch clash descended into farce just minutes into the match, when officials ran onto the pitch to reprimand a trio of Argentina’s starters.

Premier League stars Giovani Lo Celso, Cristian Romero and Emi Martinez were the target of Anvisa, Brazil’s health regulatory agency.

Having been in England within the last 14 days, the trio should have had to quarantine under Brazilian law.

The three players, as well as Emi Buendia, are alleged to have lied upon entry into Brazil about having been in the UK.

Brazilian football’s governing body CBF, alongside Conmebol, believed that they had negotiated exemption from Federal Government in order for the game to go ahead with Argentina’s Premier League players available.

But Anvisa were having none of it.

According to EiF, Anvisa rejected the exemption, heading straight to the stadium – only to get stuck in notorious Sao Paulo traffic.

NAUGHTY BOYS

Tottenham are set to fine their three South American stars who disobeyed orders NOT to return home on international duty.

The club told Argentina pair Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, and Colombia defender Davinson Sanchez they were not to travel.

But the trio ignored their orders and broke Premier League guidelines by going to play in their countries’ World Cup qualifiers.

And one of those was against Brazil on Sunday, which was halted in incredible fashion in the sixth minute as the Argentine Premier League stars were accused of breaking Covid quarantine rules and falsifying documents to enter Brazil illegally.

Both Lo Celso and Romero started the game, which was eventually suspended by local health officials who stormed the pitch in Sao Paulo.

Lo Celso, Romero and Sanchez are now likely to face hefty financial penalties when they eventually return to Spurs from their unauthorised trips – which will see all three have to quarantine and miss up to three matches following their arrivals back in the UK.

CATCHUP

If you’ve just tuned in, Brazilian Public Health Officials raided the field to stop play only five minutes into the game between Brazil and Argentina.

Their reasoning behind this was that four players in the Argentinian squad who play their club football in England, were not permitted to take part in the match due to Covid-19 protocols.

United Kingdom is on Brazil’s red list so therefore any individual who has been in the UK, travelling to Brazil has to quarantine for a 10-day period at minimum.

The players who had breached Government guidelines were Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa) Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa) Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur) Giovanni Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur).

However, the confusion is that the players were given the green light by their respected clubs so everyone is trying to figure out which wires got crossed and why did it happen during the game.

SCALONI SPEAKS

Here’s what Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni had to say: “At no time were we notified that they could not play the match. We wanted to play the match the Brazilian footballers too.

“It should have been a party for everyone to enjoy the best players in the world.

“I would like the people of Argentina to understand that as a coach, I have to defend my players.

“It makes me very sad, I am not looking for a culprit. If something happened or did not happen, it was not the time to make that intervention.”

TAPIA TALKS

The President of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia has also spoken: “What happened today is unfortunate for football, it is a very bad image. 

“Four people entered to interrupt the game to make a notification and CONMEBOL asked the players to go to the locker room.

“You cannot talk about any lie here because there is health legislation under which all South American tournaments are played.

“The health authorities of each country approved protocol that we have been fully complying with.”

REVENGE

Brazil were set to take on Argentina for the first time since the Copa America final defeat.

But the health authorities had other ideas.

HOME TIME

Argentina are on their way home after yesterday’s covid mayhem.

ATTEMPT TO NOTIFY

Their was an attempt to notify the players: “There was an attempt to notify the players, who refused to sign the notification delivered by the authorities present at the stadium for immediate return to their country of origin, based on Interministerial Ordinance 655/2021 and art.

“11 of Law 6.437/1977. The terms were delivered to the Federal Police for appropriate action.

“The framing of data omission irregularities in the completion of the Traveler’s Health Declaration (DSV) and non-compliance with the quarantine subject each athlete who violated the legislation to the individual Health Violation Notice (AIS): Ordinance 655/2021, RDC 21/2008 and RDC 456/2021.

“Health and Health Surveillance.”

RED LIST

The statement continued: “This Sunday morning (5/9), Anvisa notified the Federal Police and, until the start of the game, made an effort, with police support, to enforce the quarantine measure imposed on players, their immediate segregation and their driving to the airport precinct.

“Attempts were frustrated, since the departure of the delegation from the hotel, and even for a considerable time before the start of the game, when the Agency had its actions postponed already in the premises of the Itaquera arena.

“Anvisa’s action, in short, was restricted to seeking compliance with Brazilian laws, which would be limited to the segregation of players and their respective fines.

“The decision to interrupt the game was never, in this case, within the Agency’s competence.

“However, the selection of players who did not comply with Brazilian laws and the country’s health regulations, and who still provided false information to the authorities, did indeed require the State Agency to act in a timely and manner, that is, in a timely and effective manner.”

HEALTH AUTHORITIES

The statement continued: “By virtue of this communication, still on Saturday afternoon (4/9), the aforementioned meeting took place involving the Ministry of Health, the State Health Department of São Paulo, representatives of Conmebol, CBF and the Argentine delegation.

“During this meeting, Anvisa, together with the local health authority, determined the quarantine of players.

“It should be clarified that the players entered Brazil at 8 am on Friday (3/9), providing false information.

“On the same day, Anvisa identified that the information was false and, still on the night of 3/9, notified the Cievs, updating the health authorities (Ministry of Health and Health Department of São Paulo).

“This Saturday (4/9), at 5 pm, a meeting was held with the institutions involved, in which the Agency and the São Paulo health authority informed the quarantine contingency.

“However, even after the meeting and communication from the authorities, the players participated in Saturday night training.”

WHAT’S BEEN SAID

Here’s what the health authorities have had to say on the matter: “Since this Saturday afternoon (4/9), Anvisa, in a meeting held with the participation of representatives of the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol), the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and the Argentine delegation, recommended the quarantine of four Argentine players, upon confirmation that the players provided false information and unequivocally failed to comply with Interministerial Ordinance 655, of 2021, which establishes that foreign travelers who have passed, in the last 14 days, in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Northern Ireland and India are banned from entering Brazil.

“This Sunday morning (5/9), the Agency called the Federal Police so that the measures within the scope of the police authority were taken immediately.

“In the exercise of its legal mission, Anvisa has pursued, from the outset, compliance with Brazilian legislation, which, in this case, was restricted to the segregation of the four players involved and the adoption of the corresponding sanitary measures.

“From the moment it became aware of the players’ irregular situation, on the same day the delegation arrived, the Agency communicated the fact to the Brazilian health authorities, through Cievs, the Strategic Information Center on Health Surveillance.”

MAD FOR IT

Brazil vs Argentina isn’t the first time South American football has succumbed to craziness with the world watching.

In 2018, the Boca Juniors coach was attacked when they travelled to River Plate for the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final.

After the match, Fifa President Gianni Infantino stepped in to move the game to Madrid.

Though it is a completely different situation this time around, could we see another bidding war between world cities?

DOUBLE TROUBLE

One facepalm simply wasn’t enough as Lionel Messi and Neymar couldn’t believe what they were seeing in Sao Paulo.

The PSG duo will be sure to have a good laugh about it all when the dust settles and they’re back in France next week.

IN THE FI-K OF IT

Just as Uefa is not competent to deal with incidents of racism in Hungary during Fifa World Cup qualifiers, so Conmebol – South America’s football association – cannot decide on where we go next with Brazil vs Argentina.

Argentine FA President Claudio Tapia tweeted: “As president of the AFA I am very sorry for the suspension of what was supposed to be a party for South American football.

“We have always been guided by the current health legislation in Conmebol.

“We await the resolution of the disciplinary court of Fifa.”

RUSH HOUR

So many have asked why it took until seven minutes into the match for Brazil’s health authorities to prevent it going ahead.

Well, reports from Sao Paulo incredibly claim that agents of the authority were stuck in traffic…

TOP FLIGHT

Argentina have returned to Buenos Aires, so there’s no prospect of the game being replayed in this international break.

A picture has been released of the players on the plane back from Sao Paulo.

Emiliano Martinez’s brother says the goalkeeper is set to fly to Croatia on Monday in order to avoid a hotel quarantine when he arrives in the UK ten days afterwards.

That suggests that he and Buendia and Lo Celso and Romero are set to honour the agreements not to play against Bolivia on Thursday that they’re reported to have with Aston Villa and Spurs respectively.

GOOD MORNING

As the Argentina head coach said last night, “It should have been a party” between Brazil and La Albiceleste in their 2022 Qatar World Cup Qualifying match.

But not even five minutes had gone by before the party was crashed by some unexpected visitors known as the Brazilian public health officials.

They raided the pitch in search for the four Argentinian players who had “failed to adhere to public health regulations” which caused the game to be abandoned.

Emiliano Martinez, Emiliano Buendia (both Aston Villa), Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero (both Tottenham) were the four members of the Argentina team who did not follow protocols, according to the public health officials.

It stems from United Kingdom being on Brazil’s red list which means any individual who enters Brazil from the UK is supposed to go straight into a 10-day isolation period.

Some wires were crossed along the way because the clubs of the Premier League stars were given the green light to go and represent their countries.

And both Lionel Scaloni and the president of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia were adamant that they stuck to the letter of the law when involving the four players in their squad.

But when it was reported that nine Premier League stars were left out of the Brazil squad for the very same reason, it was always going to be an area of concern for Argentina.

However, the one question which is on everyone in the industries lips is why didn’t the authorities intervene way before the game had kicked off?

Hopefully we can bring you more updates throughout the course of the day.

CATCHUP

If you’ve just tuned in or have been hiding under a rock for the last couple of hours, Brazilian Public Health Officials raided the field to stop play only five minutes into the game.

Their reasoning behind this was that four players in the Argentinian squad who play their club football in England, were not permitted to take part in the match due to Covid-19 protocols.

United Kingdom is on Brazil’s red list so therefore any individual who has been in the UK, travelling to Brazil has to quarantine for a 10-day period at minimum.

The players who had breached Government guidelines were Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa) Emiliano Buendia (Aston Villa) Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur) Giovanni Lo Celso (Tottenham Hotspur).

However, the confusion is that the players were given the green light by their respected clubs so everyone is trying to figure out which wires got crossed and why did it happen during the game.

DISCIPLINARY

The referee and match commissioner has been ordered to submit a report to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee which will determine the steps to be followed.

These procedures will strictly adhered to all the current regulations.

UPDATE

Argentinian officials have been filmed loading boxes of what looks to be the players individual cases of kits and boots into the back of a truck.

Surely that means the game is completely off?

Meanwhile, the Brazilian’s are still having their inhouse training session match on the field.

TAPIA TALKS

The President of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia has now also spoken.

What happened today is unfortunate for football, it is a very bad image.

Four people entered to interrupt the game to make a notification and CONMEBOL asked the players to go to the locker room.

You cannot talk about any lie here because there is health legislation under which all South American tournaments are played.

The health authorities of each country approved protocol that we have been fully complying with

Claudio Tapia@Argentina

CONMEBOL CALLING

CONMEBOL confirming that the game has been suspended but it is still unclear whether the game has been abandoned.

BRAZIL 0-0 BRAZIL

WHAT A SAVE!

Brazil’s training session is quite entertaining I must admit.