South America's football
federations have placed a request to FIFA on Wednesday asking for delay to all qualifying
matches for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar because of the global new coronavirus
pandemic.
"The
South American teams risk not being able to count on players they have picked
and who play in Europe because they, arriving from countries with a high level
of contagion, could be placed in quarantine," said a letter from CONMEBOL,
South American football's governing body, to FIFA Secretary General Fatma
Samoura.
Qualifying
matches are due to begin on March 26 2020.
The
letter revealed and expressed the position of its 10 members: Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and
Venezuela.
The
letter further revealed that they "have asked CONMEBOL to place for
consideration by FIFA the request to postpone the start of the World Cup
qualifiers."
From
all inodcations, many of the South American players selected for their national
sides play in Europe, where the deadly new coronavirus is rapidly spreading.
Argentina's
coach Lionel Scaloni has picked six players who play their football in Italy,
where the virus has killed at least 827 people in just over two weeks.
The
new coronavirus has already disrupted numerous major sporting events worldwide,
including Italy's Serie A football whose matches are suspended.
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