days almost all professional football on
the continent had stopped.
By now it was clear that the opening
two rounds of World Cup qualification
scheduled for the end of March could not
go ahead. This was obvious because the
continent’s best players are based in
Europe, which at that point was bearing
the brunt of the problem. It was felt that
either the players returning from Europe
might bring the virus with them or, with
countries closing their borders to affected
zones, European-based players might not
be able to get back across the Atlantic.
And this also applied to the Copa
America, due to be staged in Argentina
and Colombia in June and July. The
tournament has been put back to next
year, with the World Cup qualifiers
pencilled in for the start of September.
The oldest continental competition in
the world, the Copa America has already
felt the effects of a pandemic. The third
version of the competition was set for
Brazil in 1918 before “Spanish Flu”
hit, even killing Brazil’s president elect
Rodrigues Alves, and the tournament was
put back to 1919 – when Brazil won their
first major title.
CONMEBOL initially hoped that this
year’s Libertadores could resume on May
5, but at the very minimum that would
require the 10 South American nations
to have reopened their borders. And
at a practical level, some of the mainstadiums around the continent are
being transformed into field hospitals in
an attempt to take some of the strain off
precarious health systems.
“This is just the start of a crisis
for an uncertain duration, against an
unprecedented opponent who moves
with extreme speed,” says CONMEBOL
president Alejandro Dominguez. “We
have no idea if this match will end in
normal time, extra time or penalties.
“We should be ready and prepared to
work as a team. It’s the most important
game of our lives and there is no rush
to start playing again.”
Such serenity is in part based oneconomic considerations. Announcing
record receipts of $509million for
2019, up from $227m the previous year,
Dominguez added: “With the house in
order and the finances solid we can take
on this pandemic with confidence.”
Some $65m – which is 60 per
cent of the total participation money
for the group phase – has already been
distributed to clubs in the Libertadores
and the Copa Sudamericana.
Indeed, club finances have now
become a major issue.
Unlike in Europe there is no great
question of what to do with unfinished
championships as South America largely
follows the calendar year. A bigger
problem is ensuring the sustainability
of the football industry, especially
those clubs not involved in continental
competition. The early signs are many
players are more reluctant to take salary
cuts than their European counterparts.
There would seem to be two
explanations. One is that many top-flight
players in South America hardly earn afortune. When Carlos Tevez of Boca
Juniors suggested players could go a few
months without being paid, midfielder
Emiliano Mendez of Arsenal de Sarandi
was quick to slap him down, saying: “It’s a
lie. You can’t put us all in the same boat
because it’s not true.”
Another possible reason is the depth
of mistrust that can exist between South
American clubs and their players, with
late and unpaid wages hardly uncommon
in South America. Sergio Marchi of the
Argentinian players union has expressed
a fear that some teams “are looking for
excuses and mitigating circumstances to
cover up bad management and mistakes
made when drawing up the budget”.
There is a further complicating factor
with the onset of winter as it appears
the coronavirus spreads easier in cold
conditions. Temperatures can drop
sharply in the south of the continent
from June to August, so if the virus is not
under control by mid-May the stoppage
could roll on until September.
For the time being, sports channels
around the continent are showing famous
matches from history. Here, South
American football is truly blessed.
The future may look uncertain, but
there is plenty of time to wallow in its
glorious past.Coronavirus in football“This is just the start of a crisis for an uncertain duration against
an unprecedented opponent who moves with extreme speed”
CONMEBOL president Alejandro DominguezSuspended...
Independiente
del Valle’s Angelo
Preciado (left) and
Leandro Martinez of
Ecuador’s Barcelona
in the LibertadoresField hospital...
Pacaembu Stadium
in Sao Paulo, Brazil