Four Premier League players are facing deportation from Brazil after being accused of providing “false” information around its UK travel ban before joining up with the Argentina national team.
The country’s health regulator demanded the immediate isolation of Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia and Emiliano Martinez as well as Tottenham’s Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero just hours before they were due to play in a World Cup qualifier against Brazil in Sao Paulo.
Despite the warning from Brazilian health chiefs, Martinez, Romero and Lo Celso remained in Argentina’s listed starting line-up for the match, which kicked off at 8pm UK time.
It comes just days after the two clubs inexplicably broke a Premier League pact to withhold all players from representing countries on the UK’s coronavirus red list – a decision which had left the Brazil squad significantly weakened.
Now, in an apparent tit-for-tat diplomatic battle, Anvisa, the Brazilian health governing body, says the four Argentina players should have quarantined on arrival in Brazil because the UK is also on its red list.
“Anvisa considers the situation a serious health risk and so has asked local health authorities to determine the immediate quarantine of the players, who are stopped from participating in any activity and should be prevented from remaining on Brazilian soil,” Anvisa said in a statement.
The Argentina national team had flown into Brazil on Friday, the day after beating Venezuela 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Caracas, following a row involving the Premier League’s refusal to release players. Unlike Spurs and Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and other Premier League clubs held firm over their refusal to release players for World Cup qualifiers in countries deemed high risk.
That provoked fury in Brazil, who are without Alisson, Fabinho, Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Ederson, Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Thiago Silva (Chelsea), Fred (Manchester United), Richarlison (Everton) and Raphinha (Leeds). Brazil, however, deems the UK just as risky a destination over its high Covid-19 rates.
Under Brazilian rules, visitors who have been in the UK in the 14 days before entering the country must quarantine for 14 days on arrival. Anvisa were tipped off the four players did not state that information on their immigration forms and on Sunday said they confirmed the details given were “false”.
The confusion came just hours before the two arch-rivals were scheduled to face off at the Corinthians Arena in a World Cup qualifier. Spokespeople for both the Argentine team and CONMEBOL – the South American Football Confederation – did not respond to requests for comment.
However, Argentine TV channel Todo Noticias said the four travelled on the team bus to the stadium ahead of kick off. Anvisa reportedly added that the players – who were unnamed in its statement – had supplied “false information in an official form of the Brazilian sanitary authority”.
“After a meeting with the health authorities, it was confirmed, after consulting the passports of the four players involved, that the athletes failed to comply with the rule for the entry of travellers on Brazilian soil, provided for in Interministerial Ordinance No. 655, of 2021 , which provides that foreign travellers who have passed through the United Kingdom, South Africa, Northern Ireland and India in the last 14 days, are prevented from entering Brazil.
“The players in question declared that they have not passed through any of the four countries with restrictions in the last 14 days. The travellers arrived in Brazil by flight from Caracas/Venezuela to Guarulhos. However, unofficial news reached Anvisa reporting alleged false statements made by such travellers… Anvisa considers the situation a serious health risk, and therefore advised the local health authorities to determine the immediate quarantine of players, who are prevented from participating in any activity and must be prevented from remaining in Brazilian territory, pursuant to art. 11, of Federal Law No. 6437/77.”
Martinez and Lo Celso are key members of the Argentina team. The four are already facing quarantine and extra testing when they return to the UK. The Premier League declined to comment when contacted by Telegraph Sport.