Lovers of the ball and South American jousting did not necessarily attend the most beautiful of the Copa América finals. But many of them were finally able to see Lionel Messi lift a major trophy with the Albiceleste after the failures of 2014, 2015 and 2016. Add to that the images of the Pulga, calling his loved ones to the lawn of the Maracana to celebrate. his title of champion of America, and the beautiful story is perfect. But in Brazil, it’s not just the defeat against the Argentinian rival that makes people talk.
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In these times of Covid-19, the organization of this Copa América 2021 has something to talk about. Scheduled for Argentina and Colombia, the competition had already made the buzz when CONMEBOL (the equivalent of UEFA in South America) decided at the end of May to withdraw the organization from Colombia, due to serious social conflicts inflaming the country. A few days later, the same sanction falls for Argentina, but this time due to the spread of Covid-19.
500,000 dead weigh less than a Copa America
Hard hit by the pandemic, South America then held its breath. After being postponed for a year because of the virus, was the Copa América 2021 going to be able to argue? On May 31, the answer is given. The tournament will take place and it will be played in Brazil! In the country of Auriverde, football is king, but the news provokes a real uproar. Once again, the government of Bolsonaro, not really up to date in the fight against Covid-19, is singled out, in particular by the deputy of the state of Rio de Janeiro and member of the opposition, Marcelo Freixo.
“The Copa America in Brazil demonstrates how authoritarian regimes use football to distract from their crimes. (…) Argentina refused the Copa América because of the worsening pandemic. There, the average death toll is 470 people over the past seven days. Here it is 1844. Four times more! It is the image of a murderous government! (…) The governors, who claim to be defenders of life and science, cannot accept the organization of the Copa América in their State ”, he wrote in numerous protest messages on Twitter.
Argentina turned down the Copa America because of the worsening pandemic. There, the moving average of deaths in the last seven days was 470 people… Here, it’s 1,844. FOUR TIMES LARGE. This is the picture of a murderous government.
— Marcelo Freixo (@MarceloFreixo) May 31, 2021
Governors who claim to be defenders of life and science cannot agree with the holding of the Copa America in their states.
— Marcelo Freixo (@MarceloFreixo) May 31, 2021
The Copa America in Brazil shows how authoritarian regimes use football to try to divert attention from their crimes.
— Marcelo Freixo (@MarceloFreixo) May 31, 2021
Not enough to move the local authorities. However, on the day of the opening match, the Brazilian Ministry of Health announced that 41 positive cases had been detected in the Venezuelan, Colombian and Bolivian delegations. A few days later, some players from Chile put oil on the fire by breaking the sanitary bubble to bring a hairdresser in the hotel of the selection. In the media, anger only roared. “The instrumentalization of the show”, headlined the local media Terra, scandalized to see Brazil host the Copa América, despite the staggering number of 500,000 deaths caused by the pandemic.
Bolsonaro at the heart of the scandal
Even in Spain, The country validates this thesis of the smoke screen chosen by a Bolsonaro now threatened by an impeachment procedure. “Move the spotlight. This was, for many, the motivation of the Bolsonaro government when confirming the emergency holding of the Copa América 2021 in Brazil. After 30 days it’s safe to say it didn’t work. The matches have taken place, Brazil have fought, Messi put on a show, but the main problems in the country are dominated by new accusations of corruption ”, is it written in the article published on July 2. A corruption scandal linked to missing vaccines, which are not really the priority of the Brazilian head of state.
“Brazil has become an open-air laboratory for the production of new variants of the virus, with intensive care units and cemeteries full and refrigerators increasingly empty. After the government has refused offers of vaccines dozens of times, vaccination of the population continues at a slow pace, as unemployment levels break records and food prices skyrocket ”, can we read in the article by Terra published June 19. The media did not believe in saying so.
Today, UOL Sport announces that the newspaper The state of Sao Paulo reveals that some selections present at the Copa América have brought new variants to Brazil. Evidence has been found in Mato Grosso, the state in which the Ecuador and Colombia teams have played. It would be the B. 1216 variant originating in Colombia, and already detected in the United States as well as in the Caribbean. A variant whose studies have not yet been able to demonstrate whether or not it is more contagious than the Delta variant. Which worry the local health authorities even more since these two teams have played in other states. In its last report published on June 24, CONMEBOL indicated that 166 people who worked during the event contracted the virus.
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