League clash with Napoli.
Meanwhile, Segunda Liga side
Almeria sack coach Mario Silva,
despite qualifying for the play-offs.
Jose Gomes comes in as his
replacement, taking his third
job in nine months.
TuesdayJuly 28
SPAIN:Real Madrid and Dominican
Republic forward Mariano tests
positive for coronavirus.
NORTH AMERICA:CONCACAF
announces changes to its 2022
World Cup qualifiers. Mexico, USA,
Costa Rica,Jamaica and Honduras
receive byes to the final eight, with
30 other nations battling to qualify
for the remaining three spots.
Each side in the final octagonal
group will play four matches
nextJune, with the process
completed in March 2022.
WednesdayJuly 29
ENGLAND:The FA confirms that
England Women will not take part
in next year’s SheBelieves Cup
due to “existing uncertainties
around the future trend of the
COVID-19 pandemic.” The
Lionesses have competed at
every previous tournament
since its inception in 2016,
winning the trophy in 2019.
ThursdayJuly 30
ENGLAND:Saudi Arabian-backed
consortium pulls out of its bid to
buy Newcastle United, following
the Premier League’s lengthy
delay in approving the takeover.
SWITZERLAND:Swiss
prosecutors launch legal
proceedings against FIFA president
Gianni Infantino in relation to an
alleged secret meeting with Swiss
attorney general Michael Lauber.
Lauber had offered to resign after
a court said he covered up the
meeting and lied during a
corruption investigation.
ASIA:The AFF Championship,
scheduled for later this year, is
rescheduled for 2021. Defending
champions Vietnam are expected
to host the majority of matches.
FridayJuly 31
FRANCE:PSG beat Lyon on
penalties to win the French
League Cup, thereby sealing
another domestic treble.
Saturday,August 1
ENGLAND:Arsenal defeat London
rivals Chelsea to win the FA Cup
at an empty Wembley stadium.
t the time, some thought it
was premature when the Copa
Libertadores suddenly shut down
on March12 – a day when games
were still taking place in the
Europa League. In hindsight, it
is clear that CONMEBOL made the right decision.
Coronavirus is proving especially destructive in the
Americas. The original idea floated as a restart date- May 5 – proved to be absurdly optimistic, and it
is even possible that the same might apply to the
current plans to get going on September15.
LateJuly brought plenty of bad news. Formula
One cancelled all of its races in the Americas. Rio
deJaneiro called off its New Year’s Eve celebrations
as Brazil’s death toll climbed alarmingly. There
were worrying spurts in Peru, Colombia and Chile.
Indeed, Chile introduced a14-day quarantine
period for all visitors – a measure which, if kept in
effect, will clearly make it impossible to go ahead
with the Libertadores in its current form.
On the same day, the infectious disease specialist
of the Argentine government advised River Plate
against travelling to Sao Paulo for the match
scheduled for September17 – and had his view
endorsed when the health authorities in the
Brazilian metropolis confessed that the virus
would probably not be under control by then.
There could well be some tension behind the
scenes, with the clubs, desperate for revenue,
lobbying for a restart while those responsible for
public health urge caution. This might be an issue in
Paraguay, which locked down early – games were
already being played behind closed doors before
the Libertadores suspension – and which, as ofJuly
25, had suffered just 38 deaths. Health chiefs there
could be forgiven for wanting to call off the home
and away matches between local champions
Olimpia and Santos, from the state of Sao Paulo,
as well as the visit of Palmeiras, from the city.
Even if the mid-September restart date proves
viable, there are still problems on the horizon. One
is logistical. At the best of times it can be difficult to
travel around South America. Distances are vast
and connections are often inadequate. Throw in the
hit taken by the airline industry and the cancellation
of flights and some teams will face epic journeys
making their way to and from away fixtures.
And there is also the headache of a calendar
that is already strained to breaking point. With six
months hacked out of the year, there is no way that
a full 2020 Libertadores programme can be
Copa in crisis
CONMEBOL have some decisions to
make over South America’s premier
club competitionFinal host...Rio’s
Maracana stadiumWith six months hacked out
of the year, there is no way
that a full 2020 Libertadores
programme can be completed
before 2021A
completed before 2021. As it stands the semi-finals
are set for the first half ofJanuary. No date has
yet been fixed for the final, but the idea is for a
showpiece occasion in Rio’s Maracana stadium later
in the month. Quite apart from possible concerns
about the virus, the intense summer heat would
surely inhibit an afternoon kick-off, at a time perfect
for hitting the European evening and boosting the TV
audience. And with the Brazilian Championship set
to go through to the end of February, the 2021
Libertadores is unlikely to kick off until April, more
than two months later than usual. At some point
something will have to give, and a competition will
have to be shortened.
Europe, of course, chose to take that hit early,
simplifying the 2019-20 Champions League by
shifting the closing stages to a neutral venue. South
American could end up having to do something
similar. The obvious complication is the difference
in the stage of the competitions. Coronavirus struck
when the Champions League was already down
to the last handful of clubs. The Libertadores, in
contrast, was brought to a halt after just two of theCopa Libertadores
TIM VICKERY