03/06/2021 2:24 PM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 03/06/2021 2:40 PM
After analyzing the difficult situation through two virtual meetings, Conmebol and FIFA jointly decided to suspend the double date of South American qualifiers that was to be played between March 26 and 30 due to the complications that arose from Europe due to the transfer. of footballers.
Germany and England were the first countries to determine that, if a South American player came to play matches with their national team, they should carry out a two-week quarantine on their return due to the outbreak of coronavirus cases that they show.
This situation caused the clubs to unite in the position of refusing to give in to their figures since then they would lose several games in a decisive straight for the definitions of the local competitions and the European cups.
Although there was still no overt position, the Italian and Spanish leagues could be tailored.
The CONMEBOL Council resolved to suspend the double date of the Qualifiers for Qatar 2022 scheduled for March.
The decision is due to the impossibility of having all the South American players in a timely manner.
- CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) March 6, 2021
In this context, on Friday a first meeting was held between the representatives of the countries that make up Conmebol and FIFA leaders in which they had not been able to reach an agreement on what to do with the date of the Qualifiers.
Moreover, from that conclave different positions emerged from the South American countries.
It is worth clarifying in this sense that, for example, Brazil would be greatly affected if it could not count on the players who play in the Premier League while Argentina, on the other hand, does not receive as many figures from England or Germany as it does from Spain and Italy.
On Saturday, with the virtual presence of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the negotiation came to fruition and they chose to lift the March window, which will be rescheduled.
“The Council of Conmebol resolved to suspend the double date of the Qualifiers for Qatar 2022 scheduled for March.
The decision is due to the impossibility of having all the South American players in a timely manner ”, the South American entity published this Saturday after the meeting via zoom in which the president of the AFA, Claudio Tapia, participated.
We continue to work together in a new meeting of the Board of Directors @CONMEBOL with @FIFAcom 🇦🇷⚽️ pic.twitter.com/eUgxIcw19n
- Chiqui Tapia (@tapiachiqui) March 6, 2021
The growth of coronavirus cases in Europe and the consequent restrictive measures proposed especially in countries such as Germany and England, set off the alert in the South American teams that this week had to present the list of summoned for the first double of the qualifying rounds of the year.
The European clubs were firm in their stance not to give in to the players.
What's more, both Liverpool coach, German Jürgen Klopp, and his Manchester City counterpart, Spaniard Pep Guardiola, publicly stated their decision not to allow their figures to travel because they would then have to do mandatory isolation upon return.
In principle, Conmebol quickly mobilized to put back on the table the same argument used for the previous days, when the Europeans were also reluctant to give in to their footballers.
At that time there were two windows during October and November 2020 and from Conmebol a bubble with a sanitary corridor included, so those players summoned traveled on private flights to and from Europe, and remained isolated in their respective concentrations during the days of permanence in South America.
In addition, they flew in charter during internal transfers.
With that argument in hand, the president of Conmebol, the Paraguayan Alejandro Domínguez, backed by the members of all the South American associations, presented the necessary guarantees to FIFA on Friday for the clubs in Europe to give up the summoned footballers with peace of mind.
But from Europe they did not give their arm to twist.
What's more, at one point the strange version of moving the South American qualifiers to the Old Continent to avoid the footballers' trip circulated, but it was an idea that never took shape.
On Saturday at noon, with Infantino already present via Zoom, the representatives of the countries determined that the conditions were not right to play.
The Selection of Lionel Scaloni had to face Uruguay on Friday, March 26, for the fifth date of the contest, at home, at the Madre de Cities stadium, in Santiago del Estero and on Tuesday, March 30, visit Recife to clash in the classic against Brazil.