Juventus defender Danilo believes ‘justice will be served’ after chaotic Brazil vs. Argentina last weekend.
Brazilian authorities entered the pitch just six minutes after the kick-off on Sunday, announcing they would be deporting four Argentina players who had ‘lied’ to enter the country.
They are Cristian Romero, Giovani Lo Celso, Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia, representing Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa. Due to the Delta variant in the United Kingdom, anyone who has come from there needs to quarantine for 14 days in Brazil.
However, Argentinean players had already spent several days in Brazil, which is why several footballers, most notably Leo Messi, asked authorities why they hadn’t taken action before.
Juventus defender Danilo spoke about the game during a press conference.
“Everybody knew there were four Argentinean players from the Premier League, everybody knows there are rules that must be followed arriving from Brazil from the UK,” he said.
“It was no secret for anybody. The media had been talking about it.
“My personal opinion doesn’t count, everything is now up to the authorities who must take the right decision. What I think makes no difference.
“There are rules that must be respected. Looking at the proof, justice will be served.”
FIFA released a statement after the match, which was never resumed.
“FIFA regrets the scenes preceding the suspension of the match between Brazil and Argentina for the CONMEBOL qualifiers of World Cup 2022, which prevented millions of fans from enjoying a match between two of the most important football nations in the world,” their statement reads.
“The first match official reports have been sent to FIFA. This information will be analysed by the competent disciplinary bodies and a decision will be taken in due course.”
Brazilian and Argentinean players return to Italy between Friday and Saturday.
They both play their World Cup qualifying matches tonight. Seleçao face Peru while Argentina meet Bolivia.
However, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, it could take longer for Brazilian players to return to Italy, so both Danilo and Alex Sandro could miss Napoli vs. Juventus on Saturday.
Race against the clock for South American players to return in time for Serie A fixtures