Look! Brazil vs Argentina World Cup qualifier abandoned as COVID-19 health authorities invade pitch

Match stopped minutes after kick-off due to controversy over coronavirus protocols

Published: September 06, 2021 11:45 Imran Malik, Assistant Editor

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It should have been a great game of football... Argentina's Angel Di Maria (right) and Brazil's Alex Sandro vie for the ball during their South American qualification match for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the Corinthians Arena, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Image Credit: AFP

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Argentina's Gonzalo Montiel (left) and Brazil's Neymar in action soon after kick-off but the match would soon be turned upside down due to bizarre circumstances... Image Credit: AFP

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Last piece of action... Neymar and Argentina's Emiliano Martinez go for the ball - but just three minutes into the game play was interrupted as a group of unidentified officials came onto the pitch, triggering a melee involving team staff and players. Image Credit: Reuters

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Confusion... Play was interrupted after Brazilian health officials objected to the participation of three Argentine players they say broke quarantine rules. Image Credit: Reuters

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Brazil's Neymar (left) and Argentina's Lionel Messi have a chat during the confused scenes after four English Premier League players apparently violated Brazilian regulations designed to contain a COVID-19 outbreak that has killed more than 580,000 Brazilians. Image Credit: AFP

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The two superstars tried to remonstrate with the officials for the match to go ahead... Image Credit: Reuters

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Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez and Tottenham’s Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso were all on the pitch when federal police and officials from Brazil’s health agency, Anvisa, took to the field to halt play and chaos ensued. Image Credit: Reuters

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The players had somehow sidestepped Brazilian rules stating that travellers who have been in the UK, South Africa or India during the previous 14 days are forbidden from entering the country. The World Cup qualifier was then abandoned amid farcical, confused scenes. Image Credit: Reuters

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Fans left disappointed... Argentina manager, Lionel Scaloni, said that at no moment had his team been told the game could not be played. The controversy came after 9 Brazil players based in the English Premier League failed to travel to South America following objections from their clubs due to the pandemic. The match will need to be rescheduled but as of yet no date has been arranged. Image Credit: Reuters

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Look! Brazil vs Argentina World Cup qualifier abandoned as COVID-19 health authorities invade pitch

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Look! Brazil vs Argentina World Cup qualifier abandoned as COVID-19 health authorities invade pitch

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