Brazil vs Argentina: Spurs set to fine Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero after pair involved in fixture's suspension

ByHarry Latham Coyle

Updated 06/09/2021 at 13:43 GMT

The pair were among three Premier League players to start for Argentina before the game was bizarrely suspended after Brazilian health authorities entered the pitch. They claim that the players did not declare that they had arrived from the United Kingdom, a country currently on Brazil's coronavirus red list and requiring a fourteen-day quarantine period.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to fine Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero after the pair were involved in the suspension of the Brazil vs Argentina fixture.

The World Cup qualifier was suspended early in the first half after Brazilian health authorities entered the pitch.

Officials from ANVISA claim that four Argentina players, including Lo Celso and Romero, failed to declare their arrival from the United Kingdom in the country.

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football.london reports that Tottenham are now set to fine both when they make a belated return to the club.

The pair, along with Aston Villa's Emiliano Buendia and Emiliano Martinez, had joined up with squad in Brazil from the UK, which is currently on the coronavirus red list in Brazil and requires a fourteen-day quarantine.

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Lo Celso, Romero and Martinez all started the fixture between the two South American footballing giants.

There was reportedly anger at Tottenham that the former pairing had joined up with Argentina at all.

The Premier League's clubs had unanimously agreed not to release players for international fixtures in red list countries during this window of games.

However Lo Celso and Romero elected to honour their call-ups regardless.

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Davinson Sanchez is also set for a financial sanction after similarly travelling for Colombia's fixtures.

The centre-half is expected to spend ten days training in Croatia before returning to England in a bid to avoid the mandated hotel quarantine required should he make an immediate return to the UK.

The suspension of the Brazil against Argentina fixture further muddies the waters about when Nuno Espirito Santo can expect Lo Celso and Romero to return, with Argentina scheduled to face Bolivia on Friday 10 September.

"At no time were we notified that they couldn't play the match," said Lionel Scaloni, Argentina's manager, after the suspension of the Brazil game.

"We wanted to play the match, the Brazilian footballers too. It makes me very sad. I am not looking for any culprit. If something happened or did not happen, it was not the time to make that intervention.

"It should have been a party for everyone to enjoy the best players in the world."

A statement from FIFA meanwhile read: "FIFA can confirm that following a decision by the match officials, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifying match between Brazil and Argentina has been suspended.

"Further details will follow in due course."

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