The social outbreak in Colombia threatens to take away the headquarters of the Copa América. In a last minute move, the Government of Iván Duque proposes that the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) postpone the tournament, as announced through its Minister of Sports at the end of a day in which several media have reported, without confirmation official, that the decision to be played only in Argentina, the other co-host, is imminent.
“The Government of Colombia will formally request the South American Football Confederation, through the Colombian Football Federation, to postpone the Copa América,” declared Minister Ernesto Lucena, without referring to social mobilizations. “We believe that the most important thing in an event of this magnitude is the capacity of the public,” he added, hiding behind the ravages of the coronavirus. The impossibility of fans in the stadiums “makes the Cup not an event we all dream of,” he reasoned after a meeting with other members of the Cabinet at the Casa de Nariño, the seat of government.
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Despite the crisis, the government of Iván Duque, surrounded for three weeks by the protests, had insisted on the need for the Andean country to host the oldest national team tournament in the world next month, which it saw as a factor union in the midst of distress. When the organization of the tournament had been questioned, the Government had defended that it was part of the difficult process of economic reactivation after the onslaught of the coronavirus. “It would be absurd if the Copa América is not played here when the Euro is going to be played”, I arrive to affirm the president when the protests were barely completing their first week, but the situation has escalated since then.
Although Argentine President Alberto Fernández had been somewhat less enthusiastic about organizing the tournament amid the pandemic, on Tuesday he hinted that his country could be the only venue. “If they comply with all the protocols, we are willing to see the possibility of organizing it alone,” he told Radio 10.
The unprecedented Copa América of Colombia and Argentina, which for the first time would be played in two venues shared by distant countries, is announced between June 13 and July 10, but has been fraught with uncertainty. Both nations are facing a critical moment of the pandemic due to the rebound in cases, which had already sown doubts about the viability of the tournament, but it has been the delicate internal situation in Colombia that aims to frustrate the desire of the Colombian Government. The country accumulates fifty deaths in the framework of all kinds of protests, riots and clashes between protesters and police.
Sports have taken a back seat. Last week, several Copa Libertadores club matches were played amid interruptions by tear gas that came from the street, in images that were broadcast live across the continent. The duel between América de Cali and the Brazilian Atlético Mineiro had to stop five times, and the confrontation between Junior and the Argentine River Plate was also suspended for several minutes, both in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla. In Pereira, the Atlético Nacional de Medellín and Nacional de Uruguay game started an hour late by the protesters. Even the bars of the Colombian clubs have joined the protests to demand that the tournament not be held.
The manifest purpose of this unusual edition has been to standardize calendars so that it will be played in parallel with the Eurocup. Like the European national team tournament, it was also due to be played last year and has already been postponed until 2021 due to the pandemic. Then, just over a month after the ball rolled, Colombia boiled over with an amalgam of demands and social mobilizations that ended up disrupting the plans of the leaders, who until this week insisted that the headquarters were firm. Colombia intends to host 15 games, including the final in Barranquilla.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus more than a year ago, the measures of several South American governments to contain its spread – such as restricting the entry of foreigners to their countries, closing borders and prohibiting mass events – have had a strong impact on regional competitions. A domino effect that had already reached both the Libertadores and the qualifying rounds for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which are delayed. The eighth date, in which Colombia should receive Argentina precisely in Barranquilla on June 8, also remains tinged with uncertainty.
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source https://pledgetimes.com/colombia-asks-conmebol-to-postpone-the-copa-america-amid-protests/
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