The situation is still just as blurry around the Copa America. As boycott rumors have started to crop up, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro is considering canceling the meetings scheduled in his city.
The mayor of Rio de Janeiro announced on Friday that he would not hesitate to cancel the Copa America meetings planned in his city in the event of the worsening of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Brazilian metropolis. “I see no advantage in receiving Copa America games (…) We did not ask for the Copa America and if you want my opinion I think now is not the right time to organize such a tournament, “said Mayor Eduardo Paes during his weekly press briefing on the health situation. The councilor recalled that competitive club matches, such as the Brazilian championship and the Copa Libertadores, were allowed in Rio behind closed doors, according to a decree in force until June 14, the day after the opening match of the Copa America, in Brasilia.
“But if the situation worsens, we will have another decree and that will put an end” to the football competitions in the city, he added, specifying that the organizers had “at no time come into contact with the municipal health authorities “. June 14 is precisely the day Rio will host the first of its eight Copa América games, between Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Chile, at the Nilton Santos stadium, which hosted the athletics events of the 2016 Olympic Games. Seven matches are to take place in this arena, including a semi-final, and the final is scheduled at the legendary Maracana stadium. On Monday, the surprise announcement that Brazil would host the tournament instead of Argentina and Colombia triggered an avalanche of criticism, in a country where nearly 470,000 people have died from Covid-19.
Boycott rumors
But the South American Confederation (Conmebol) had wanted to thank President Jair Bolsonaro, for having “opened the doors to his country”. The head of state, whose management of the pandemic is considered irresponsible by most specialists, has multiplied this week the statements in favor of this Copa America in Brazil. According to him, it is normal to host such a tournament if the country is already hosting matches in international club competitions, such as the Copa Libertadores. Several stars from other South American countries, such as Uruguayan Luis Suarez, have already spoken out against the holding of the Copa America in the midst of a pandemic. Boycott rumors have also started to crop up from the Brazilian side.
Several media indicate that the coach Tite could tender his resignation due to a disagreement with his federation on the organization of the tournament in his country. Thursday, Tite said he had a “very clear” opinion on the subject and that he would express it at the end of the last of the two qualifying matches for the 2022 World Cup, this Friday evening, against Ecuador. , and Tuesday, against Paraguay.
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