With less than a month to go, the Copa América outfit has never been so threatened.
For two good weeks, the situation in Colombia has been extremely tense. In addition to the global pandemic and its health and economic consequences, there is a deep social crisis that is affecting the country. Colombia is animated by violent clashes between demonstrators and the police and the social climate is in no way compatible with the holding of a continental competition. New proof with the Copa Libertadores meetings last night. Above all, not wanting to upset its schedule, CONMEBOL ignores any context, whether health or social. Thus, in the middle of a new day of demonstrations in the four corners of the country, she strongly maintained the meetings organized on Colombian territory. And thus offered himself a continental humiliation.
Explosive social context
In Barranquilla, Junior welcomed River at Romelio Martínez in the midst of chaos. Because while the match was being held, outside the stadium, the clashes between demonstrators and the police redoubled in violence. This is how the match was fought to the sound of tear gas canisters, screams or even gunshots and was even interrupted for a while, the tear gas arriving on the field. ” It was a complicated moment because we cannot ignore what is happening. It is abnormal to play in the middle of such an unstable situation compared to what the Colombian people are going through, it was not normal before and during the match »Declared Marcelo Gallardo after the match. Players from River who, according to some sources on the spot, were even entitled to reggaeton played in the locker rooms to cover the noises of the crowd outside the stadium. And some journalist albicelestes to draw a parallel with Argentina 78 …
In Perreira, National had to face theAthletic National. A match that the Uruguayans initially did not want to play in a climate of demonstrations whose intensity redoubled after the death of Lucas Villa, a protester victim of several shots, wanting security guarantees. A meeting maintained by CONMEBOL, which even postponed the kick-off by an hour, effectively forcing Bolso to appear at the stadium. And receive a moral lesson from Diego Haro, the Peruvian referee of the meeting asking this ” let it be a good match, the most important thing is that this match be a big game of football, let’s put aside what happened “, Eliciting a scathing response from Gonzalo Bergessio” we need there to be a little more empathy from them “. But CONMEBOL won, the match was fought, its Libertadores advance …
Health crisis
In addition to this explosive social context, there is the health crisis. This Tuesday, 5,491 new cases were listed in Bogotá, 5,008 on Wednesday. For the second day in a row, the number of deaths related to COVID-19 was over 100. Fernando Ruiz, Minister of Health, expressed his concern on Wednesday vis-à-vis the health situation, especially in Bogotá, speaking of “critical situation”. Colombia thus finds itself having to face a new wave, the mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López even recalled that there would be no football in her city, ” we don’t have the capacity to live, let alone football. Let’s make some sense », Before having to resign himself:« I’m not hosting the Copa América, so I can’t surprise a tournament that I’m not hosting “. The health situation is just as dramatic in Argentina. As we indicated a few weeks ago, the second epidemic wave also affects the land albicelestes and the government of Alberto Fernández, which had already expressed doubts about the possibility of organizing the competition, implemented new measures (restriction of movement, suspension of social activities, open-air meetings of more than twenty people, sports activities with a maximum of ten people, curfew and ban on all indoor activities).
Threats from players and sponsors
So CONMEBOL resists. This Wednesday, while the social and health climate is dramatic, it quietly published the official anthem of the competition, its president Alejandro Domínguez calling for it to ” transmits this force, these emotions “. A CONMEBOL which calls for the continent to vibrate, associating the hashtag #VibraelContinente when its president is certain that ” all of South America and the world will be infected with its joy and rhythm “. The choice of words …
However, despite its blindness to wanting to move forward whatever the situation, CONMEBOL could be forced to change its mind. Because some stakeholders are starting to express some doubts. Guest of Punta’s show 2, Edinson Cavani said: ” I believe it is a terrible irresponsibility. The social situation does not matter, that vis-à-vis the virus either. […] We have no voting rights, these are things that are decided by a few people. Who are we ? Monkeys who have to follow orders? I think the situation does not allow us to be quietly doing what we are told to do. We could see the situation in another way. It’s a special situation, you have to see things differently. They don’t think about the health of people, of footballers ».
Enough to bend the supreme body of South American football? Not sure. On the other hand, according to El Tiempo, three of the most important Copa América sponsors have told CONMEBOL that they do not wish to participate in a tournament organized in a country where the situation is so complicated and where questions concerning the rights of man arise. In recent weeks, rumors have been growing around a relocation of the event, evoking Paraguay or even Chile. A meeting would be scheduled for Thursday to discuss the future of this strange Copa América …
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Creator and editor-in-chief of Lucarne Opposée.
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