New details have emerged revealing what actually happened in the Argentina vs. Brazil match on Sunday, which has become a global topic due to its bizarre interruption. Brazilian authorities forcefully halted the "classico" match in Sao Paulo within minutes of its start due to the participation of Argentine players coming from a "red list" country, namely the UK. Unbelievable footage showed health authorities storming the field to intervene in the game, clashing with Argentine players before the match was stopped amidst the players' astonishment.
**What Happened?**
On Monday, further details surfaced regarding the actual events that led to the authorities' intervention after the match had begun.
**The Lie**
The incident began with a lie told by four Argentine players, based on a recommendation from their country's football federation, regarding their arrival from England, a country from which Brazil prohibits entry into public spaces without a full 10-day quarantine. The four players—Aston Villa's Emiliano Martínez and Emiliano Buendía, and Tottenham Hotspur's Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso—entered Brazil after a previous match in Venezuela, failing to disclose that they had been in England days prior, despite their status as Premier League players being widely known.
**Approval to Play**
Subsequently, the Argentine Football Association approached the Brazilian Football Confederation and the South America football governing body "CONMEBOL," seeking an exemption for the four players to play without needing to quarantine. The Brazilian Confederation, CONMEBOL, and the Brazilian government agreed to grant this exemption for the four players, but the Brazilian health authority rejected and did not recognize this exemption.
**The Uncovering of the Lie**
The Brazilian health authority immediately became aware of the breach made by the Argentine players, realizing that the Argentine team would use the exemption to participate in the match, prompting them to act. However, their action came on match day, September 5. Health officials, accompanied by Brazilian police, headed to the Argentine team's hotel in Sao Paulo to deport the four players.
But upon the authorities' arrival at the hotel, the Argentine delegation had already left for the match, which was held unusually early in the afternoon.
**Traffic Congestion**
The next step was to catch up with the Argentine team at the stadium to deport the four players, but the heavy traffic congestion in Sao Paulo prevented this. The route from the hotel to the stadium was extremely congested due to rush hour, delaying the health officials. Upon arriving at the stadium, the game had already started, but the officials did not hesitate to storm the field and attempt to deport the players. Three out of the four players coming from the UK were starters in the match, necessitating the decision to stop the game and issue a subsequent ruling.
