Guests faked Covid-19 tests reports in the Copa America finals

In an announcement on Saturday, CONMEBOL stated that guests inside Maracana Stadium presented false COVID-19 tests.

In connection with the Copa America final between Brazil and Argentina, a significant number of guests have allegedly faked COVID-19 tests to make sure they were able to watch the match, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) announced on Saturday.

The South American governing body said in a statement on its website that it had detected “a considerable amount of fraudulent PCR tests” brought by accredited guests. According to the statement, these people will not be granted entry to the stadium.

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CONMEBOL has not stated how many tests were found to be false. “All guests will have to present a negative test from a laboratory to be able to attend. There will be no exception. It is recommended that the printed test is available at all times so it can be verified and avoid setbacks.”

The city hall of Rio de Janeiro decided on Friday to allow 10% of the stadium’s 78,000 seats to fill for the final with no ticket sales. Multiple recommendations would need to be fulfilled by CONMEBOL in order for the parties to receive accreditation.

Brazilian and Argentine football bodies were allowed to invite up to 2,200 guests each. A large number of those fans were gathered outside of the Maracana’s ticket offices to receive their accreditations and invitations immediately before kickoff, with no concern for social distancing.

When Brazil beat Peru 3-1 in the 2019 Copa America final, 60,000 fans filled the Maracana. COVID-19 has left Brazil among the hardest-hit countries. The number of known deaths has surpassed 531,000, second only to the United States, although the pandemic has slowed down in the nation recently.