Soccer
Danilo weighs in on Argentina Covid confusion: "Justice will be served"
When four Argentina players were accused of breaking Covid protocols, the Brazil and Argentina World Cup qualifying game was halted and left more questions.
Brazilian soccer player Danilo weighed in on the confusion that happened during the Argentina vs Brazil World Cup qualifying game.
In case you somehow missed it, the game was stopped minutes after it started, with health officials coming onto the field and accusing four Argentina players of breaking Covid protocols when flying into Brazil. They were accused of ignoring quarantine requirements and falsifying coronavirus declarations, failing to state that they had been in Britain in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Brazil.
It was clear that no one was expecting the interruption and it was unclear why nothing had been done prior to the game start.
"We didn't go to the stadium asking ourselves if the match was going to happen," Danilo said. "It didn't even cross our minds."
FIFA, as the organizers of the game, could partially be held responsible for the confusion and the mishap. They are meant to make sure all regulations are being adhered to. Things got a bit more confusing on Tuesday night when Argentina posted on Twitter saying that one of its staffers had tested positive for Covid 19. They did not mention who that person is.
How the Covid confusion began
The team arrived in Brazil on Friday morning from Venezuela. Rumors began to spread about the players giving false information around midnight, 15 hours after they'd left the airport. The South American Football Confederation reported that it did not ask the health ministry to register the team and did not receive a decision on what to do. The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency, known as Anvisa, recommended the players to quarantine, but they did not. That is what led to the health officials interrupting the game, eventually leading to its suspension.
Brazil's football federation, the CBF, said that it had followed all protocols as the host entity to inform everyone involved about the current health legislation. It said it tried to “promote an understanding among the entities so health protocols could be complied with for the match to take place.” In a document provided by the CBF, there was a mention of exceptional waivers that could be requested, but Brazil's Chief of Staff said it never received anything from Argentina for its players.
Danilo weighed in saying, "My opinion doesn't matter. You have to comply with the rule and the law. Everything written on paper must be complied with, and observing the evidence, justice will be served."