The World Cup qualifier between Argentina and Brazil suspended last year will not be replayed, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the Brazil Football Confederation (CBF) both confirmed on Tuesday.
On Sept. 5, the game between the two South American football giants was cancelled after Brazilian health authorities accused several English Premier League players of violating the country’s COVID-19 quarantine rules.
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The match had been rescheduled for Sept. 22, but both AFA and the CBF confirmed in separate statements that the case is now resolved by the sport’s world governing body, FIFA.
“Finally, the match between Brazil-Argentina will not be replayed and the open date will allow for our national team to play a friendly as a result, in preparation for Qatar World Cup 2022,” CBF said. “The CBF is grateful to FIFA for the willingness and availability to resolve this problem under these very specific circumstances in this short span of time.”
Sources told ESPN in Brazil that the CBF is looking to play two friendlies in the open date, the first versus Algeria in Algeria and the second against Tunisia in France.
Argentina also said in their news release that they would look to play a friendly during the now open FIFA date.
Both federations were ordered to pay fines of 150,000 Swiss francs ($157,778.48), with half the amount suspended for a two-year probationary period and half of the fine going directly to the World Health Organization.
Brazil and Argentina have both qualified for this year’s World Cup in Qatar. Brazil topped the CONMEBOL table with 45 points while Argentina claimed second place on 39.
Uruguay and Ecuador took the other two automatic World Cup spots.
In Qatar, Brazil is in Group G with Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon. Argentina is in Group C with Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
