FIFA’s disciplinary committee announced its decisions on Monday related to the abandoned Brazil vs. Argentina World Cup qualifier from September. In that match, the action was called off just five minutes in due to truly bizarre and unprecedented scenes. With the match taking place in Brazil, health officials stormed the pitch to contest the inclusion of three Premier League-based Argentine players who were accused of breaking quarantine protocols. The three players, Emiliano Martinez, Gio Lo Celso and Cristian Romero, were not granted an exemption for the specific protocol that travelers from the United Kingdom need to quarantine for 14 days.
As a result, FIFA announced fines for both the Brazil FA and the Argentina FA, player suspensions and that the match will be replayed on a date yet to be determined.
Here’s what FIFA announced:
1. to order the Brazilian Football Association to pay a fine of CHF 500,000 ($539,697) with respect to infringements related to order and security;
2. to order the Argentinian Football Association to pay a fine of CHF 200,000 ($215,878) with respect to its failure to comply with its obligations in relation to order and security, the preparation of and its participation in the match;
3. to order the Brazilian Football Association and the Argentinian Football Association to each pay a fine of CHF 50,000 ($53,969) as a result of the abandonment of the match;
4. to suspend the Argentinian players Emiliano Buendía, Emiliano Martínez, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero for two (2) matches each for not complying with the FIFA Return to Football International Match Protocol.
At the end of the day, each FA takes a financial hit, but the suspensions will mean very little. Both Brazil and Argentina have already qualified for this November’s 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The rescheduling of the game, which is expected to happen in the summer, will likely be nothing more than a glorified friendly with nothing really to play for. The Argentine players that are suspended can just not participate in upcoming qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador — two games that hold very little meaning for a team unbeaten in its last 30 matches.
