Manchester United winger Antony says the air-conditioning in Qatar caused him to feel unwell, which forced him to miss Brazil training after Thursday’s 2-0 win over Serbia.
The attacker came on for the final 10 minutes in last week’s victory to make his World Cup bow but was unable to train the next day due to feeling ill, and subsequently missed a second session.
However, the 22-year-old recovered in time for Monday’s 1-0 triumph over Switzerland, coming off the bench for the final 17 minutes as United teammate Casemiro hit the winner seven minutes from time.
The stadiums built in Qatar have air conditioning at pitchside to reduce the warm conditions players have to play in. Antony said he wasn’t the only one to have suffered ill-effects from the filtering system, with others in the Brazil squad coming down with a cough or sore throat.
Speaking to popular Twitch streamer Casimiro about his time away from training post-match, he explained (as per Sport Witness ): “It was a bit difficult. I ended up having a bad feeling there for a few days that complicated me a bit.
“Not only me, but other players also had a cough and a bad throat. It’s very difficult for me to get sick, but I’m happy to be an important part of the team. Whenever you need Antony, I’m available.”
Antony will be hoping to enjoy more minutes in Brazil’s next group game against Cameroon on Friday after the nation booked their place in the knockouts thanks to the win over Switzerland. The United star is not considered a first-choice starter yet by Tite having begun just two of his 12 international caps.
Nevertheless, he has still managed to get on the scoresheet twice for Brazil having netted against Venezuela on his debut last year and against Paraguay in February’s World Cup qualifying clash.