South America postpones World Cup qualifiers due to pandemic restrictions

James Rodríguez and Duván Zapata, from Colombia, after the qualifying match against Ecuador.Rodrigo Buendia / AP

The playoffs, one of the most treasured competitions in South American football, is once again feeling the ravages of the coronavirus.

The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) has decided this Saturday to postpone the double date of the regional classification to the 2022 World Cup, which was scheduled to be played between March 25 and 30, due to the difficulties that the teams face for the European clubs give up their players amid travel restrictions.

"The decision is due to the impossibility of having all the South American players in a timely manner," explained Conmebol when making the announcement on its social networks after a second telematic meeting with the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino.

“FIFA will analyze the rescheduling of the date, in coordination with Conmebol and the member associations.

Soon, the different options for holding the matches will be studied ”, added the confederation referring to the fifth and sixth matchdays.

The measures of several European governments to restrict flights or isolate travelers from South American countries in the face of the threat of the spread of the variant detected in Brazil dealt a coup de grace to the new qualifying date, as many South American football stars They play in the English Premier or the Spanish League, where the authorities have imposed quarantines to be able to return under the current circumstances.

The match that Colombia and Brazil had to play in Barranquilla seemed particularly problematic and is an illustrative example of the obstacles that were insurmountable.

For starters, several key players from both teams play in the Premier.

James Rodríguez, Yerry Mina and Richarlison are teammates at Everton;

Davinson Sánchez is at Tottenham;

Alisson and Firmino at Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool and Gabriel Jesús at Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, to name a few examples.

The two European coaches had already publicly spoken out against releasing players who would later have to serve 10-day isolations.

In addition, the Government of Iván Duque keeps flights from Brazil suspended to prevent the spread of the variant of covid that has caused havoc in Manaus, and the Minister of Health, Fernando Ruiz, has indicated that they do not contemplate exceptions.

"We have been successful in containing the Brazilian strain and there would be no presentation to authorize the entry of a flight from Brazil to Colombia," he told Blu Radio on Friday.

La Canarinha was later scheduled to play the stellar South American classic against Argentina in the most attractive game of the doubleheader.

The qualifiers had already started full of uncertainty last October with a semester of delay.

Played the first four days, Tite's Brazil maintains its undeniable rhythm with 12 points out of 12 possible, escorted by Lionel Messi’s Argentina, who has only conceded a draw, and the surprising Ecuador of coach Gustavo Alfaro who accumulates nine points.

Paraguay and Uruguay, with six points each, also rest in the qualifying zone, which grants four direct spots and a possibility of playoffs for the ten teams in the zone.

The competition continues to be marked on fire by the restrictions caused by the pandemic.

Now Conmebol and FIFA will have to find a place in a tight schedule to make up for the postponed days.

The seventh and eighth dates are scheduled for June, before the Copa América hosted by Colombia and Argentina, originally scheduled for 2020.