Lodi missed the call-up for not being vaccinated, says Tite

Renan Lodi was not called up for the next matches of the Brazilian team for the World Cup Qualifiers because he was not fully immunized against Covid-19. The 23-year-old left-back took only the first dose of the vaccine to combat the new coronavirus and was out of the list released this Thursday (13).

“What I can anticipate is that Renan Lodi was excluded from the possibility of being called up due to his non-vaccination. This information was passed on. So he lost the possibility of competing due to not having been vaccinated”, said coach Tite, who then gave a speech in favor of immunization.

“I, in particular, understand that vaccination is a social responsibility. It is mine and with someone next to me. I bring this responsibility with me. Me and my family. Me and the people I have responsibility for. Me and my grandchildren. I wanted to be with my parents, I don’t have them, but I wanted to have the opportunity to protect them,” he said.

Tite’s assistant in the selection’s technical committee, César Sampaio clarified that the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) does not require vaccination of players. The issue, he said, is logistics, and with just one dose, Renan Lodi would not be able to roam freely around South America for team commitments.

“We respect it. We have our opinion, but we don’t force any athlete to be vaccinated,” stated Sampaio. “Renan Lodi could not enter Ecuador. Here in Brazil, he also has restrictions. Renan Lodi had his first dose now on the 10th. So, according to the sanitary rules of the countries, he would not be able to enter with the delegation”, he added. the coordinator of the selection, Juninho Paulista.

Brazil will face Ecuador, in Quito, on January 27th. The next match is scheduled for February 1st, against Paraguay, in Belo Horizonte. Leader of the South American Qualifiers with 100% success, Tite’s team makes the adjustments to reach the World Cup in the best way, in Qatar, in November