Brazilian football returns … with a fever

On the same weekend that Brazil reached the shameful milestone of 100,000 Covid-19 deaths and 3 million cases, the country kicked off its 2020 national football championship, with 60 clubs in three divisions zipping all over the country to play in empty stadiums.

After the arrival of the coronavirus on Brazilian shores, the 2020 football season was always going to be problematic, with clubs’ revenue severely jeopardized by the four-month stoppage and the lack of paying customers at matches. But after just one weekend of fixtures, we have seen just how disorganized this year’s league will be, with only six out of ten top-flight games going ahead, and one match postponed 15 minutes before kick-off, after news that the home team had nine players infected with Covid-19.

Still, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) is adamant that the competition will continue, with an additional 60 clubs returning to action in September as the fourth division begins. 

Taking players and coaching staff into account, the return of football means that well over 3,000 individuals are flying all over the country and mixing with other groups, as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage in Brazil, with no imminent signs of slowing down.

Despite the postponement of games and new cases among players, the CBF claims that its sanitary protocols are as safe as possible. “There is nothing that is risk-free. We have worked hard, exhaustively, in debates with more than 140 doctors, to set up a structure close to what we...