South American football 'in no rush' to restart

ASUNCION -- South American football will not return from its coronavirus-enforced recess until the pandemic is under control and clubs are ready to resume, head of the sport's regional governing body said on Thursday.

The continent's major competitions have been suspended since mid-March and South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) president Alejandro Dominguez admitted he has no idea when they might restart.

"We are playing the most important game of our lives. We're in no rush to come back because when we do it, we have to do it together," Dominguez told CONMEBOL's annual congress.

"We are experiencing an unprecedented situation, a global pandemic that threatens not only our health but also our economies, the way we relate with each other and even the way of experiencing the passion that unites us: football," he added.

Dominguez underlined CONMEBOL's financial solidity, guaranteeing the organization had the wherewithal to overcome the global health crisis.

Last week, CONMEBOL brought forward participation fees for the region's two flagship competitions - the Copa Libertadores and the Copa Sudamerica - to help financially stricken clubs.

"We are in a solid position to face this," Dominguez said. "In 2019 CONMEBOL continued to make progress and it is the fastest growing confederation in the world."

The congress, which was conducted via video conference, included the participation of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who said it was time for the sport's decision-makers to reassess their priorities.

"It is our responsibility as football administrators, first of all to ensure football can survive and secondly move forward once again," he said.

"On the international match calendar we have to look for wider solutions to tackle these global problems in a spirit of cooperation and solidarity. Everyone has different interests, but we must talk and put on the table topics that we perhaps didn't discuss in the past."