Ten players from the Brazilian team of Goias learned on Sunday that they had tested positive for the coronavirus a few hours before a match which therefore had to be postponed, at the last minute. The club, which was to face Sao Paulo FC behind closed doors on behalf of the first day of Brasileirao (Ligue 1), obtained the postponement of the meeting on a decision of the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) finally accepted by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
Before this announcement of the judicial decision, which fell just a few minutes before the scheduled kick-off time, the two teams were in total uncertainty. The Sao Paulo FC players even went to warm up on the pitch.
“Ten of our 23 players have tested positive. Unfortunately, we only received the results today, ”explained Goias President Marcelo Almeida at the microphone of TV Globo. According to the Brazilian press, eight of these ten players were regular holders.
Sao Paulo FC said they were in favor of the postponement, saying on Twitter that "nothing is more important than preserving health".
O São Paulo manifesta apoio e informa que está de acordo com a decisão de adiamento do jogo deste domingo, em Goiânia. Não há nada but important, neste momento, do que preservar a saúde e reflect in sociedade a importância dos cuidados.
- São Paulo FC (@SaoPauloFC) August 9, 2020The protocol imposed by the CBF so that the national championship can begin - three months late due to the pandemic - requires that all players be tested less than 72 hours before each match.
Brazil exceeded the threshold of 100,000 dead and more than 3 million people infected with the coronavirus on Saturday.
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