There is a week to go before the Copa América starts in Brazil and there are still doubts about its celebration in the sports, health and judicial fields, which could put the tournament at risk in this country where the coronavirus pandemic continues out of control.
THE POSITION OF THE HOST SELECTION MAY BE DETERMINING
Neither the dressing room nor the Canarinha technical committee have made their opinion public, but they have hinted at their discomfort in the few statements they have given since the controversial decision to take the contest to Brazil became known.
Internal discussions on the matter were also recognized with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), one of the godfathers of the tournament in Brazil, together with Conmebol and the far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, after Colombia and Argentina withdrew.
“At the right moment, we will talk,” said the captain of the Brazilian team, Casemiro. Everything indicates that they will pronounce at the end of Tuesday’s match against Paraguay, in Asunción, of the qualifying rounds for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The ‘GloboEsporte’ portal believes that they will do so through a statement. It is unknown if the group will go a step further and decline to play the competition, which could create a domino effect with unforeseeable consequences.
The newspaper ‘O Globo’ even went so far as to make explicit the possibility of a resignation of the Brazilian coach, Tite, who, in the face of these rumors, only said that he works “normally”, that he is “at peace” with himself and that he will pronounce when I touched. Also, presumably, after the match with Paraguay.
CONTACTS BETWEEN THE CAPTAINS
The controversy has crossed Brazilian borders, as there are conversations between the ten captains of the national teams regarding the Copa América dispute, as confirmed by the Ecuadorian defender Robert Arboleda.
For the moment, the players refused to participate the day before in a conference call from the Conmebol Council to discuss the details of the tournament. Bolsonaro did and reaffirmed that the country is ready to receive it, according to ‘GloboEsporte’.
UNCONTROL OF THE PANDEMIC
The evolution of the coronavirus pandemic, which has already killed more than 470,000 Brazilians, with an average of more than 1,600 deaths per day, could also radically change the scenario.
Epidemiological specialists have anticipated the arrival of a new pandemic wave just for the weeks in which the tournament will take place, scheduled to end on July 10.
The four Brazilian states that will host the tournament (Mato Grosso, Goiás, the Federal District of Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro) have at least seven out of ten intensive care beds occupied.
The most worrying situation is that of Rio de Janeiro, in whose homonymous capital eight games will be held, including the final, and where 92% of the ucis are occupied, according to the latest official data.
The mayor of the former ‘Cidade Maravilhosa’, Eduardo Paes, warned that at the slightest worsening of the health crisis he will issue a decree once again prohibiting the holding of football matches in the city, which could happen in the middle of the Copa América.
IN THE HANDS OF THE COURTS
Justice could also be decisive in this puzzle.
The courts have been a fundamental actor during the pandemic and could also be so for this Copa América in a country that is used to suspending public auctions, decrees and even soccer tournaments for precautionary measures issued at the last minute.
In this context, some opposition political parties have filed an appeal before the Supreme Court against the holding of the American tournament.
The ruling could arrive in the next few days, but it would also not be a surprise if a judge of the first instance of one of the host cities suspended the matches, which would start a judicial battle in the different instances of the country. EFE (HN)