The coronavirus covid-19, predictably, is gaining prominence in the week in which the South American qualifying for the Qatar 2022 World Cup will finally begin.
At least seven players are in doubt or decidedly ruled out in the official calls of the ten participating teams, which not only complicates the preparation of the competition but also sows a big question: is it really possible to keep the virus at bay?
The Colombian National Team is, so far, the most affected, with two confirmed absences and two more very possible. This Sunday the discharge of Matheus Uribe was confirmed, who must be in quarantine due to the positive of a person close to him, although it was not confirmed if he is part of Porto, his team, or his family environment. The case of Luis Díaz goes in the same direction, the other forced discard for the same reason: he suspects that he is a carrier of the virus.
And there is great concern for two more players: Napoli, which reported three infections, including two first-team players (Zielinski and Elmas), which forced the isolation of the entire roster, including goalkeeper David Ospina.
The control was prior to the duel against Juventus, this Sunday in Turin, which was not played due to the absence of Napoli. Precisely the local reported two infections, although it is not about any player or member of the coaching staff. Of course, all were placed in isolation and this Monday they will be evaluated again, including Juan Guillermo Cuadrado.
But it does not happen only in Colombia. In Argentina, Walter Kannemann was infected with the covid-19 coronavirus and was disaffected from the call, while Cristian Pavón, from LA Galaxy, ended up in the middle of a discussion between the national team and the MLS, which did not want to let him travel due to the pandemic. Total, it was unaffected.
One more case was that of a regular of the Uruguay National Team, José María Gimenez (Atlético de Madrid), who is recovering from the covid-19 coronavirus and this week will be evaluated again by his club. The ‘teacher’ Tabarez preferred not to summon him.
Finally, in Chile, the player Andrés Vilches, one of the revelations of the team led by Reinaldo Rueda, was also disaffected for having to undergo “preventive quarantine” due to a nearby case.
The protocol for the return to competition of all teams includes charter flights, hotel reservations or full flats for players only, training sessions only in open air venues and permanent tests during their stay in the national team. But nothing guarantees that they can stay free of covid-19, less now than in the European countries where they live there are outbreaks and in Latin America, where they will compete, the pandemic is far from being a controlled problem.
In Argentina, for example, domestic competition does not start yet because there are not enough guarantees and in Colombia there was a massive contagion in Deportes Tolima, while the country, in general, is having a few days with reports of thousands of daily infections, many times exceeding the number of recovered patients.
That is why there are doubts about the competition in conditions of absolute safety and there are those who ask if Conmebol has sufficiently planned the scenario of one or more infections in the middle of the tie and if it has plan B and C when handling an emergency. He’ll get it?
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