Following the suspension of the World Cup qualifier match between Brazil and Argentina, Brasilia’s health agency Anvisa has blamed the two countries football foundation and the South American governing body CONMEBOL for the chaotic episode that was played out on the pitch on Sunday.  

The Brazil-Argentina qualifier was interrupted and then suspended after just seven minutes of play as agents of Anvisa came onto the pitch to take England-based players Emiliano Martinez, Emiliano Buendia, Giovanni Lo Celso, and Cristian Romero to the airport for breaching coronavirus protocols. The health agency said they should be in quarantine.  

The four aforementioned players were in the UK in the previous 14 days upon their arrival in Brazil. They are being investigated for allegedly providing false information. 

In a statement published on Wednesday, Anvisa said, “We stress the lack of collaboration in the fulfilment of health protocols by those involved (CBF, CONMEBOL, AFA and the players themselves), who deliberately obstructed and embarrassed public officers as they performed their duty in favour of the Brazilian people’s health,” according to inputs from the Associated Press.

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Meanwhile, FIFA, the sport’s top governing body, has opened an investigation into the proceedings. A decision has not been made on whether the match will be replayed.

However, both the football federations of Argentina and Brazil, along with the CONMEBOL have denied any wrongdoing. But Anvisa alleged in the report that all three bodies were attempting to mislead the status of the four players up to one hour before kickoff.

Anvisa said it warned the governing bodies about the need for isolation of those players since Saturday. Furthermore, the agency accused them of not disclosing that they had been to the UK recently, a country that is on Brazil’s red list for COVID-19.

Furthermore, the health agency added that its agent decided to enter the pitch after he heard the national anthems being played, which he considered the final evidence of noncompliance with Brazil’s health regulations.

“A CBF representative tried to argue about waiting until the break so they could be substituted. We didn’t agree because that was not a negotiation, it was a legal action and a corrective for their noncompliance. We insisted the four players should be notified,” the agent said, adding he never meant to halt the match.