Only one game, Academia Cantolao - Universitario de Deportes (0-0), was played in the seventh round of the Peruvian Apertura, which was supposed to mark the return to football in Peru after five months of break due to COVID-19 pandemic. All matches were supposed to be played in Lima, and all teams agreed to follow certain health protocols, including coronavirus tests before each game.
However, it was not meant to be. Many fans of Universitario gathered around the stadium where the match took place, without respecting social distancing, and police had to be brought in to disperse the ultras.
After the game was over, the authorities asked the Peruvian Football Federation to suspend again the competition, which they did. All the other matches scheduled for Saturday, Sunday and Monday were postponed indefinitely.
Cusco FC should have played against Carlos Stein in the first match of the day, on Saturday, the 8th of August. The game was postponed, just like all the others. Cusco FC succeeded to transfer some players just before the restart of the competition, including goalkeeper Carlos Gómez (Deportivo Coopsol), midfielder Erick Gonzáles (Deportivo Coopsol), as well as two well-known players, right winger Jhon Oviedo (on loan from Universitario) and their former player Ray Sandoval, who came back from Sporting Cristal to help the attack.
It is unclear when the Peruvian First Division will restart again, and what sort of protocols would be needed. Fans are not allowed on the stadiums, but the clubs cannot control what the fans are doing outside the stadium.
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