A World Cup qualifier between Argentina and Brazil was abandoned amid farcical, confused scenes after four Premier League players apparently violated Brazilian regulations designed to contain a Covid outbreak that has killed more than 580,000 Brazilians.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez and Tottenham’s Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso were all on the pitch at São Paulo’s Neo Química Arena on Sunday afternoon when federal police and officials from Brazil’s health agency, Anvisa, took to the field to halt play after just seven minutes.

The three players and Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendía, who was in the stands, had reportedly somehow sidestepped Brazilian rules stating that travellers who have been in the UK, South Africa or India during the previous 14 days are forbidden from entering the country, unless they are Brazilian citizens or have permanent residency.

In a statement issued before kick-off Anvisa said it had received reports the four Argentina players, who had flown into Brazil from Venezuela on Friday, had provided “false information” on their pre-flight health declarations. Anvisa called on local health to place the players under immediate quarantine and “prevent them from remaining in Brazilian territory”.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/sep/05/brazil-v-argentina-abandoned-as-health-authorities-invade-pitch