Asunción -
The president of Conmebol, Paraguayan Alejandro Domínguez, said that football is a "balm" to cope with the coronavirus pandemic and hoped that soon "the ball will start rolling."
During a virtual summit of Mercosur presidents on Thursday, the president of Conmebol stated that football gives a "moral boost" in a context of crisis like the current one, and recalled that "thousands of players, coaches, physical trainers, journalists, media (...) depend economically on this sport" in Latin America.
"For Conmebol, health and life come before anything else, but this factor must also be considered," Domínguez emphasized before the presidents of the member countries of the bloc - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay - and other guests.
He recalled that the governing body of South American football, in its search to safely resume paralyzed activities, called upon a team of experts that developed a protocol for training, travel, and competitions, including arrivals and departures from airports, for matches that will initially be played without an audience.
The entire protocol was shared with the public on social media.
Seguimos trabajando para volver a disfrutar del mejor fútbol del mundo. --
--️▹ Check out the details of the Medical Recommendations Protocol for the Return to Football made available by CONMEBOL.https://t.co/xgM7px1bCx
— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) July 2, 2020
"Our intention is not to return to pre-pandemic normal overnight," but "to return when you, gentlemen presidents, consider it appropriate," Domínguez emphasized.
"Our greatest longing is for the ball to start rolling again," he concluded.
In the final statement of the summit, the heads of state noted that they "took note" of the "Return to Football" project of Conmebol, which refers to the Copa Libertadores 2020, the Copa Sudamericana 2020, and the South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
It is an "initiative that will continue to be studied in the competent instances of each State, within the framework of the evaluation of the resumption of regular, safe and orderly sports activity, and respecting the sanitary protocols of each country," the heads of state concluded. (D)