Start of the Qualifiers

The start of the qualifiers was scheduled for today in Montevideo, at the historic Centenario Stadium in the Uruguayan capital, now converted into a healthcare center to assist patients.

La Roja and Celeste considered that they could change the field and take the game to a digital format on social media, and instead of competing against each other on the field, they would join forces against the coronavirus.

In a soccer analogy, the Twitter accounts of both teams agreed to simultaneously publish the same messages for their fans with preventive recommendations to face the viral opponent.

The proposal was made by the Chilean team, which started warming up the match with a message: "Today we were going to play our first qualifying match against @Uruguay, but there is another more important match to play. We need the support of everyone! #TogetherWeWinUruguayChile," they posted on the social network.

As usual, both teams announced their confirmed lineups minutes before the kickoff, but their stars were not included.

Neither Arturo Vidal nor Alexis Sánchez started for Chile, nor Diego Godín nor Luis Suárez for Uruguay. Both accounts published a lineup with eleven recommendations to avoid getting infected with the coronavirus.

"Don't leave your house", "wash your hands frequently", "don't touch your face", "avoid contact when greeting", "avoid sharing personal items", "keep all rooms in your house ventilated", "cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing", "avoid contact with the sick", "disinfect regularly", "do not spread rumors", and "stay informed" were the starting lineup.

Messages of this kind continued to be published for several hours, drawing a parallel between health and football to make their fans aware of the risks.

With the initial kickoff, "You make the first pass, don't leave home," was the message they delivered.

In reference to FIFA's classic fair play message, the play they devised was "fair play, clean hands. Washing your hands frequently, for at least 30 seconds, is crucial in the fight against COVID-19."

"The best play is to stay at home. Do not leave your home unless strictly necessary. This is the best way to help stop the chain of contagion," they told the fans in another message.

Both teams closed the digital match against the coronavirus with a message of encouragement to the citizens: "This match against #Coronavirus between @Uruguay and @LaRoja has ended, but another more important one continues. Let's respect the advice, take care of ourselves, and take care of those around us. Together we win!"

In Chile, confirmed cases of COVID-19 reach 1,306, with four deaths, while in Uruguay there are 217 infected.