“We cannot take risks,” says Hernando Cevallos, Peruvian Minister of Health, due to the situation of infections in the southern country.
The match between Peru and Ecuador on February 1 for the South American qualifying for the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be played without an audience at the National Stadium in Lima, a firm decision “for now” and that is supported by the considerable increase in COVID-19 infectionssaid Hernando Cevallos, Minister of Health of the southern country.
The duel of the fifteenth day of the World Cup against La Tri, a team that is located in third place in the qualifier and is close to securing a place in Qatar, is fundamental in the aspirations of the Peruvian national team to go to the next World Cup. La Bicolor ranks fifth in the standings, where it finds a struggle mainly in the combined of Colombia (4th), Chile (6th) and Uruguay (7th).
“We understand that it is crucial, but more crucial is that people do not die“Cevallos declared this Wednesday to Ovation Radio.
And the state official argued: “We have gone from 26,000 to 88,000 infections (after the December holidays). I love football, what am I going to do? I’m honest, it bothers me not to see people in the stadium, but I have to keep the measures firm until the current wave slows down a bit ”.
Thus, when asked about the public ban on sports venues in Peru, Cevallos replied: “Not for now, until we have a decrease in the speed of infections.”
“It is going to be complicated. The speed of infection is very high. We don’t want to risk people. For now, the decision is that there is no public at least until the peak that is rising falls. The number of infections has quadrupled in a week, we cannot risk it ”, added the minister.
Before meeting Ecuador, Peru has scheduled two friendly games this January at home against the teams of Panama (day 16) and Jamaica (20).
The South American qualifiers award four direct tickets to the FIFA World Cup and one to an international playoff.
Tricolores and bicolores already met on the road to Qatar 2022, in Quito on June 8, 2021, with a 2-1 victory for the team of coach Ricardo Gareca. (D)
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