(Reuters) – Peru’s health ministry said on Thursday that Corinthians are not at risk of contracting Guillain-Barre syndrome when they visit the country next week after the coach of the Brazilian team voiced concerns about playing in Lima.
Corinthians are scheduled to play the second leg of their Copa Sudamericana tie against Universitario on Tuesday in Peru, where a sanitary emergency was declared due to an unusual increase in cases of the disease.
Guillain-Barre is a very rare and serious condition that affects the nerves, causing problems such as numbness, weakness, and pain.
Following the home leg in Brazil earlier this week, Corinthians coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo said he wanted soccer authorities to move the return match out of Peru due to the sanitary emergency.
Speaking to journalists after Tuesday’s match, he said those responsible for overseeing the tournament should make a decision to protect players.
“Who is going to be responsible if something serious happens?” he said.
In response to Luxemburgo’s comments, Peru’s health ministry said in a statement that Guillain-Barre is not transmitted from person to person and that the players “are not at risk of contagion” in the country.
“In Peru, there is no restriction regarding this disease, whether they are meetings, national or international trips, events, among others,” it said.
Corinthians did not respond to a request for comment outside of business hours.
(Reporting by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
