The Copa América will finally be played in Brazil. After the withdrawals of Colombia then Argentina for health reasons, and the vagueness surrounding the goodwill of Brazil, the kickoff of the competition can be given on June 13 after the confirmation of the government on Tuesday. “Brazil will host the Copa América”, President Jair Bolsonaro first said at an event at the Ministry of Health in Brasilia, assuring that at least four of the country’s 27 states were ready to host meetings.
His chief of staff Luiz Eduardo Ramos, who sowed doubt on Monday saying nothing was decided yet, tweeted: “Confirmed: Copa America will take place in BrazilHe then said that the matches will be played in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso, Goias and the Federal District, that of the capital Brasilia.
This announcement will not, however, calm the strong criticisms that have been heard since the surprise announcement on Monday by Conmebol, the football body in South America, of the organization of the competition by Brazil, the second largest country. most bereaved in the world by the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 465,000 dead.
“On behalf of South American football, I would like to thank President Jair Bolsonaro for his efficient decision-making“, said the president of the Conmebol Alejandro Domínguez on Twitter. In his message, he stressed that the tournament will take place without the presence of the public and according to draconian sanitary protocols.
In contrast, at least five governors immediately refused to host matches for health reasons. That of Sao Paulo, Joao Doria, fierce opponent of President Bolsonaro, said on Monday that he would not oppose it before reversing Tuesday. Since the World Cup organized in 2014, many brand new stadiums today belong to clubs, municipalities, or states.
“It’s a real madness to organize such an event here”, said epidemiologist José David Urbaez, from the Brasilia Center for Infectious Disease. “The worst phases (of the pandemic in Brazil) in 2020 were three to four times smaller than what we are seeing today. We have this false impression that things have improved. The reality is that we are still in a terrible phase of very rapid propagation “, he declared to the AFP.
Brazil experienced a particularly deadly second wave, with the death toll dropping from 200,000 to 400,000 from January to April. Restrictions began to ease last month when the number of daily deaths stabilized below 2,000. But according to experts, a third wave is coming in the coming weeks, fueled by the spread of new variants. So in the middle of the Copa América …
A parliamentary committee of inquiry in the Senate has been looking for a month into the chaotic management of the health crisis by the government. Tuesday, the rapporteur of this commission, Renan Calheiros, appealed to the biggest star of Brazilian football, Neymar, to ask him to boycott this tournament which he describes as “championship of death”: “Neymar, I want to speak to you. Do not agree with the realization of this Copa América in Brazil. The tournament we have to win is the vaccination tournament. “
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