An official with the association said Argentina would take their
appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"We believe the decision to be unfair and we believe that
Argentina did not cause the game to be cancelled," Andres Urich,
an advisor to the association, said on Argentine television. "We
think we are in the right and we believe we have to take it to
the Court."
Earlier in the day, Argentine media published a letter from FIFA
that purportedly ordered the two teams to play the cancelled
game on Sept. 22.
The original match was called off in September 2021 when
Brazilian health officials accused four Argentine players of
misleading officials about their COVID-19 status.
The officials said the Argentines had breached rules stating
travellers who had been in the UK, South Africa or India during
the previous two weeks were forbidden from entering Brazil
unless they were citizens or had permanent residency.
The players had misled border officials by declaring they had
not been in a red list country during the 14 days before the
game, the Brazilian officials said.
Argentine officials said they believed the same protocols used
in the Copa America in Brazil in June last year were in place
for the World Cup qualifiers to allow teams to travel across the
continent. The South American Football Confederation confirmed
that interpretation.
FIFA, however, suspended the four players for two matches and
said they wanted the game played.
Argentina appealed that decision two months ago but said it had
not received a resolution and called Friday's move hasty.
"It's hasty because it does not answer the first appeal and that
is confirmed there is another instance, that is the Court of
Arbitration for Sport and the AFA will appeal," Urich said.
The result of the match between South America's two footballing
superpowers is immaterial to World Cup qualification as both
teams have already secured their places in Qatar.
(Reporting by Ramiro Scandolo in Buenos Aires; Writing by Andrew
Downie; Editing by Sam Holmes)
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