Brazil's government asked soccer authorities on Friday to cancel all competitions due to massive flooding in the south.
Further heavy rain is forecast in Rio Grande do Sul state over the weekend, worsening the situation for millions of people and potentially further delaying the cleaning of the flooded stadiums of top clubs Gremio, Internacional and Juventud. There is sex.
Officials say at least 107 people have died in the floods and another 134 are missing. More than 230,000 people have been evacuated and know they may not be able to return to their homes for another two weeks.
The Brazilian Football Federation has not yet responded to a request from Sports Minister Andre Fufka to cancel national competitions for men, women and under-20s. The CBF agreed this week to suspend all football activities in the southern province, which borders Uruguay and Argentina, for 20 days. The situation will be reassessed on May 27th. South American soccer organization CONMEBOL also canceled two matches between clubs in the region.
“This is an incredibly dire situation for the players and their families, both physically and mentally,” Fufka said. “The whole country is involved, not only in supporting all the people in the region, but also in supporting the players and their families.”
Since last weekend, the Beira Rio and Arena do Gremio stadiums in the state capital Porto Alegre have been surrounded by flooding. Parts of the pitch and stands are submerged in water. Only jet skis have been allowed at both venues since last week.
Juventud's Alfredo Giacconi Stadium, located on the outskirts of Caxias do Sul, was less affected but was still inaccessible by land.
Airports in Porto Alegre and Caxias do Sul are closed, transportation within the state is reduced, water supplies remain in short supply and hotels are full.
The CBF this week promised to reschedule 10 domestic league and domestic cup matches for the top three affected clubs.
According to local media, Gremio is considering moving to another state to continue preparations for the tournament. They will next face Bolivia's The Strong on May 29th in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores.
Internacional and Juventud have yet to announce their plans.
Matches for Round 5 of the Brazilian League last weekend for all three clubs were suspended. Internacional are 9th, Gremio 11th and Juventude 15th.
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