Botafogo, Fluminense reject plan for football restart

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Botafogo and Fluminense said Tuesday they would oppose a decision to restart Brazil's Rio de Janeiro championship amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier, Rio's city government approved plans to resume the competition on Thursday, more than three months after it was halted because of the public health crisis.

But a final decision rests with the Rio de Janeiro state football federation (FERJ), which is expected to make a pronouncement on Wednesday following a meeting with clubs and city officials.

"The idea is to reach an agreement. Whoever wants to play can play and those who don't want to play have to be respected and can come back in July," Rio Mayor Marcelo Crivella told reporters.

Botafogo president Nelson Mufarrej said Crivella's comments were "disconnected from reality" as infection rates continue to soar in Brazil's second-largest city.

"Unfortunately, the majority of clubs believe that now is the right time to start playing again, in spite of the chaotic scenes we are experiencing. We are against it," Mufarrej said in a statement.

Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt flatly rejected the move.

"The dates established for our next matches, June 22 and 24, are unacceptable from the point of view of the health of our players. We are not going to go out onto the pitch," he said.

Brazil has reported more than 923,000 COVID-19 cases and 45,000 deaths, according to official figures published on Tuesday.