Copa America: Venezuela Has 8 Players, Bolivia 3 with Virus

Employees prepare the National Stadium for the Copa America tournament in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, June 11, 2021. (AP)
Employees prepare the National Stadium for the Copa America tournament in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, June 11, 2021. (AP)
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Copa America: Venezuela Has 8 Players, Bolivia 3 with Virus

Employees prepare the National Stadium for the Copa America tournament in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, June 11, 2021. (AP)
Employees prepare the National Stadium for the Copa America tournament in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, June 11, 2021. (AP)

Copa America has yet to kick off, but 11 players have tested positive for COVID-19 upon arriving in Brazil. Eight are Venezuelans and three Bolivians, football bodies of the two countries said on Saturday.

Venezuela, which plays the opener of the tournament on Sunday against the hosts, has summoned 15 new players for its squad. Three members of its coaching staff were also infected.

Its football federation said in a statement that all “are ready to join our group in Brazil later today.” Those infected were not named.

Later the Bolivian Football Federation said three players and one member of its coaching staff tested positive. It added all its infected personnel are in good health and isolated.

Bolivia’s first match in the tournament will be on Monday against Paraguay.

South American football body CONMEBOL stressed in a statement that “the matches will be played as scheduled.”

Brazil health minister Marcelo Queiroga said Venezuela players who have the virus will return only after they test negative. He said there’s no reason for the Brazil match not to take place on Sunday.

“There will be no going and coming of players. Players who tested positive will quarantine,” Queiroga said. “If we had no possibility of positive cases we wouldn’t need rigorous protocols. Venezuela is lucky that they will bring other athletes.”

The new players for Venezuela were goalkeepers Yhonatann Yustiz, Giancarlo Schiavone and Luis Romero; defenders Eduardo Ferreira, Diego Osorio and Francisco La Mantía; midfielders Leonardo Flores, Christian Rivas, Christian Larotonda and Abraham Bahachille; and forwards Richard Figueroa, Daniel Pérez, Eric Ramírez, Robinson Flores and Jan Hurtado.

Venezuela was allowed to make vast squad changes because CONMEBOL changed the limit of five substitutions due to COVID-19 in the final list sent by teams.

Coach José Peseiro said his preparation for the match has been affected.

“Today we didn’t practice, we were isolated waiting for the tests. Tomorrow we will play with 11 who did not have the time to practice or play together,” he said. “I won’t have seven players I had in the match against Uruguay.”

Venezuela had a 0-0 draw on Tuesday against Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier.

Earlier, the health secretariat of Brazil’s Federal District, which includes Brasilia, said 12 infected Venezuelans were isolated in a hotel.

“They are all asymptomatic, isolated in single rooms and are being monitored by the team of CONMEBOL” and local specialists, the statement said.

Venezuela arrived in Brazil early Friday. One day earlier, two players tested positive for COVID-19, Wilker Ángel and Rolf Feltscher. They did not come to Brazil, the emergency host of the tournament after Colombia and Argentina were pulled.

Bolivia’s squad arrived on Friday. It was the first of nine foreign teams coming to Brazil for Copa America.

Brazil has the second-most recorded deaths from the coronavirus in the world, more than 480,000. President Jair Bolsonaro, a critic of social distancing policies, is the main advocate for the Copa America, which will have no spectators.



Djokovic Claims he Was 'Poisoned' Before 2022 Australian Open Deportation

Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, 10 January 2025. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA
Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, 10 January 2025. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA
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Djokovic Claims he Was 'Poisoned' Before 2022 Australian Open Deportation

Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, 10 January 2025. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA
Novak Djokovic of Serbia attends a press conference ahead of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, 10 January 2025. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA

Novak Djokovic has claimed that he was "poisoned" by lead and mercury in his food while he was briefly held in Melbourne in 2022 before being deported on the eve of the Australian Open, AFP reported.

The former world number one had his visa cancelled and was eventually kicked out of the country over his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid.

He was held in a detention hotel as he fought a fruitless legal battle to remain.

"I had some health issues. And I realized that in that hotel in Melbourne I was fed some food that poisoned me," the 37-year-old Djokovic told GQ magazine in a lengthy interview published Thursday.

"I had some discoveries when I came back to Serbia. I never told this to anybody publicly, but discoveries that I had a really high level of heavy metal. I had lead, a very high level of lead and mercury."

When asked if he believed his food was contaminated, the Serb replied: "That's the only way."

Djokovic refused to elaborate on Friday in Melbourne when asked if he had any evidence that his high heavy metal blood levels were linked to the food he was given.

But he did not back down from the poisoning allegations.

"The GQ article came out yesterday ... I've done that interview many months ago," Djokovic said as he was preparing for a tilt at an 11th Australian Open title and 25th Grand Slam crown.

"I would appreciate not talking more in detail about that because I'd like to focus on the tennis and why I am here.

"If you want to see what I've said and get more info on that, you can always revert to the article."

A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Home Affairs said it could not comment on individual cases "for privacy reasons".

But the government says a lease agreement with the Park Hotel where he was held provides for freshly cooked, individually portioned lunches and dinners for detainees.

- No grudge -

All catering staff have undertaken food safety certifications, it says.

And, as of December 31, 2021, the hotel had been providing samples of the food provided to detainees at each meal to the contractor responsible for detention services.

Australia says detainees had access to a variety of food and drink that was nutritious, culturally appropriate and satisfied specific medical or dietary requirements.

They were also offered breakfast items such as bread, cereal, noodles, tea and coffee at any time of the day or night.

Djokovic insisted that he does not hold "any grudge over the Australian people" despite the 2022 controversy. A year later, he returned to Melbourne where he swept to the title.

"A lot of Australian people that I meet in Australia the last few years or elsewhere in the world, have come up to me, apologizing to me for the treatment I received because they were embarrassed by their own government at that point," he said in the GQ article.

"And I think the government's changed, and they reinstated my visa, and I was very grateful for that.

"I actually love being there, and I think my results are a testament to my sensation of playing tennis and just being in that country."

However, he added: "Never met the people that deported me from that country a few years ago. I don't have a desire to meet with them. If I do one day, that's fine as well. I'm happy to shake hands and move on."