Brazil vs Argentina descended into farce on Sunday night.In what is widely regarded as one of the sport's most glamorous international fixtures, barely five minutes of football was actually played before the World Cup qualifier was brought to a halt.In barely-believable scenes at the Arena Corinthians, Brazilian health officials took to the pitch in the belief that members of the Argentina squad shouldn't be playing due to COVID-19 regulations.
Health officials interrupt Brazil vs Argentina
According to BBC Sport, the authorities claimed that four Argentina players who had travelled from the United Kingdom - three of which started the game - should have been placed under quarantine.
While the players weren't listed in name, the quartet of Premier League-based Argentines were Aston Villa's Emiliano Buendia and Emiliano Martinez and Tottenham Hotspur's Giovani lo Celso and Cristian Romero .
The Argentina squad eventually headed for the dressing room as the carnage and discussions unfolded with captain Lionel Messi later returning to the pitch to vent his frustrations.
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Conmebol suspend the match
In the end, South American football's governing body Conmebol confirmed that the game had been suspended with no resolution for the result or rearranged fixture having been announced hitherto.
An official statement from Conmebol read: "By decision of the match referee, the match organized by Fifa between Brazil and Argentina for the World Cup Qualifiers is suspended.
"The referee and the match commissioner will submit a report to the Fifa Disciplinary Committee, which will determine the steps to be followed. These procedures strictly adhere to current regulations."
And while the authorities collaborate to piece together the exact details of what transpired over the past few days, football fans are left to fill in the blanks on what proved to be a chaotic evening.
Extended footage of Brazil vs Argentina chaos
The answers and facts might not emerge until weeks or months down the line, but supporters can at least look back on the remarkable footage of what will surely endure as an unprecedented moment.
Clips and snippets have already made their way on to social media, but one particular YouTube video pretty much covers the initial decision to half the game in its entirety at almost 10 minutes.
From the moment that the footballing action came to a halt to Brazil's protracted negotiations with officials on the pitch, it really does make for a surreal watch, so be sure to check it out down below:
Make of that what you will, but make no mistake that you haven't heard the last of a remarkable incident that marks a bizarre crossroads between football's self-importance and global regulations.
In the words of FIFA themselves: “FIFA will now gather evidence from all sides to fully understand the events that led to the match suspension before it decides on the most appropriate course of action.”
