Post by Webster on May 31, 2021 19:59:30 GMT
(The Guardian) Copa America to move to Brazil instead of Argentina due to Covid-19 surge
Next month’s Copa America football tournament will take place in Brazil after original host Argentina pulled out after a surge of Covid-19 cases, the South American Football Confederation said on Monday. The decision will mean that the oldest international tournament in the world will go ahead as planned on 13 June, with the final scheduled on 10 July.
Reuters reports: The Brazilian government has shown agility and decisive thinking at a crucial moment for South American football,” Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez said in a statement. “Brazil is in a time of stability; it has proven infrastructure and recent experience in hosting a tournament of this magnitude.”
Brazil hosted the Copa America in 2019 and the World Cup in 2014.
The decision is a boost for the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain who has railed against lockdowns and urged Brazilians to return to everyday life. In a separate tweet, Conmebol thanked Bolsonaro for “opening the country’s doors to what is now the safest sporting event in the world”.
The president’s office directed questions to the sports department at the ministry of citizenship, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Next month’s Copa America football tournament will take place in Brazil after original host Argentina pulled out after a surge of Covid-19 cases, the South American Football Confederation said on Monday. The decision will mean that the oldest international tournament in the world will go ahead as planned on 13 June, with the final scheduled on 10 July.
Reuters reports: The Brazilian government has shown agility and decisive thinking at a crucial moment for South American football,” Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez said in a statement. “Brazil is in a time of stability; it has proven infrastructure and recent experience in hosting a tournament of this magnitude.”
Brazil hosted the Copa America in 2019 and the World Cup in 2014.
The decision is a boost for the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain who has railed against lockdowns and urged Brazilians to return to everyday life. In a separate tweet, Conmebol thanked Bolsonaro for “opening the country’s doors to what is now the safest sporting event in the world”.
The president’s office directed questions to the sports department at the ministry of citizenship, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.