07/10/2020 - 18:16
- Clarín.com
- sports
Conmebol confirmed this Friday the dates for the resumption of the most important championships in the continent, both at club and national level. Tuesday September 15 is the day set for the Copa Libertadores to return and on Tuesday October 27 it will be the restart of the Sudamericana. Each of the competitions will implement the protocols and preventive measures established by the authorities.
For its part, FIFA confirmed that the start of the South American Qualifiers, which was scheduled for September, was postponed to October.
"The protocol, the operating manual for travel and training make the return possible. With the strict and responsible application by all football players of the health provisions, the desire for the return of football will be realized, always taking care of everyone's health", maintains the official statement of the entity.
Likewise, the Conmebol Council determined that both contests maintain their traditional format, with the realization of all the matches scheduled in the original fixture. Those clubs that for some reason related to the evolution of the pandemic must dispute their home matches outside their city or country may do so after prior communication in due time and form, taking into account that the regulations enable this option.
Conmebol Protocol
For the return of the Libertadores and Sudamericana cups
This confirmation that paves the way for the return of all the competitions is a signal that will inevitably provoke reactions in Argentina, in a growing curve of contagions by coronavirus, and without specific dates to roll the ball again.
If one takes into account that the president of the AFA, Claudio Tapia, announced a couple of weeks ago that in Argentina the team's training will resume only when the entire country reaches phase 4 of quarantine, the dates of the Conmebol do not seem go in line with the national football situation .
These days also emerged, from Racing, the alternative that the teams that are playing international competitions can return to training before the rest. The hypothesis was discarded. It would be contradictory to the democratic effects that Tapia promoted. But in Argentine football, no scenario can be ruled out.
AFA doctor Donato Villani, one of those in charge of coordinating the meetings between specialists to define the steps to follow and disseminate a protocol for the return of football, analyzed the future in line with Tapia's words.
"At the moment there is no date for returning to work, because the AFA's political decision was final with its president at the helm. We will follow the guidelines of the government; There is no stipulated date for that, "said Villani on TyC Sports.
At the same time, he clarified that 72 hours before the return to practice, all the protagonists must be tested, which will be repeated the day the work begins and, from that moment, once a week. "To play again, the player needs between six and eight weeks once he has trained again," he clarified.
If the deadlines set by Villani, River, Boca, Racing, Defense and Justice, Atlético Tucumán and Tigre, who play the Copa Libertadores, are met, they should return next week to train to arrive in conditions in mid-September and meet the date. attempt made by Conmebol.
"There are pressures and needs ... Except for a catastrophe, on August 5 or 10 he would train again and in September we can be playing," said the president of Lanús, Nicolás Russo.
The pressures now have official letterhead and specific dates. Although everything is still tied to the logical potential that dominates these days.
