The Copa America 2021, which was to take place in Colombia and Argentina, will finally be organized in Brazil from June 13 to July 10, announced Monday, May 31, the South American Football Confederation, Conmebol. “The Conmebol Copa America 2021 will be played in Brazil. The start and end dates of the tournament are confirmed », thus declared the South American authority on his Twitter account.
Colombia threw in the towel ten days ago following social unrest, the repression of which has left dozens dead. As for Argentina, it decided to give up the organization of the tournament a few hours before the announcement of the Conmebol, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Argentina had a commitment and we did everything to keep it, but the epidemiological situation prevented us from doing so”, declared Monday the head of the Argentine government, Santiago Cafiero.
Fears of a third wave in Brazil
This country of 44 million inhabitants has recorded nearly 3.8 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 77,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic. In recent weeks, the daily number of new infections has fluctuated between 20,000 and 40,000. “We worked with the Conmebol authorities on the different possibilities and scenarios. But everything was always subject to something that goes beyond the organization of the tournament and which is linked to the increase in cases, with the way the second wave of infections continues to hit ” Argentina, explained Mr. Cafiero.
Brazil has for its part recorded more than 460,000 deaths from Covid-19 and epidemiologists fear a third wave of contamination. In this health context, some international players have expressed their opposition to the tournament being held. “I am struck by the fact that the Copa America is being played despite the current situation”, launched the Uruguayan Luis Suarez, just champion of Spain with Atlético de Madrid. His compatriot Edinson Cavani also denounced: “It is a terrible irresponsibility that everything is done to compete in the Copa America. Nothing in the social situation matters here, not even the risks associated with the virus. “
In Brazil, Marcelo Freixo, opposition deputy from the Socialism and Freedom Party, criticized this decision on Twitter. “Argentina refused the Copa America due to the worsening pandemic. There the average number of deaths over the past seven days has been 470 people… Here it has been 1,844. FOUR TIMES MORE. This is what a murderous government looks like ”, he reacted.
“The advantage is the size of our country and the number of stadiums. We can distribute “ matches across the country, said Brazilian vice-president Hamilton Mourao. “We cannot say that it is safer, but there is less risk”, he also declared at the exit of the Planalto palace.
This will be the sixth time that Brazil has hosted the Copa America, a competition in which it has won every time it has played at home (1919, 1922, 1949, 1989 and 2019). In 2019, the country won its ninth Copa America, beating Peru (3-1) in the final.
