Sao Paulo, Apr 23 (AP) Four men were stopped from playing in a Brazilian state championship soccer match because of suspicions they had attempted to falsify their COVID-19 tests.

The soccer federation of the state of Paraná said Gabriel Oliveira, Lapa, Castro and Enzzo of the tiny club Cascavel were ineligible to play against Athletico. The club only admitted the players had a fever, but were not positive for the virus.

Athletico beat Cascavel 3-1 in the fourth-round match of the local tournament.

Under professional soccer COVID-19 protocols in Paraná, clubs must test every member of the squad and team staff at least three days ahead of every match.

The soccer federation said all four players are under investigation by the state's sports court after a laboratory reported that the athletes had not taken their COVID-19 tests on the due dates. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)