Mastercard and Ambev drop branding from Copa América in Brazil amid Covid concerns

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – (REUTERS) Mastercard Inc has decided to temporarily remove its branding from the Copa América amid criticism over a last-minute decision to host the soccer tournament in Brazil, which is struggling with one of the world’s worst covid-19 outbreaks.

In a statement to Reuters on Wednesday, Mastercard said it has decided not to “activate” its sponsorship of Copa América in Brazil after a thorough analysis. The payments company remains a sponsor of the tournament, as it has been since 1992.

Brazilian beverage company Ambev SA will not involve its brands in the Copa América soccer tournament a well, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

The move comes after Mastercard Inc said it had decided to temporarily remove its branding from Copa América amid criticism over a last-minute decision to host the soccer tournament in Brazil, where COVID-19 is killing thousands daily.

Last week organizers of the Copa América, which kicks off on Sunday, unexpectedly relocated the tournament to Brazil after co-hosts Colombia were dropped due to civil unrest and Argentina withdrew following a surge in covid-19 cases.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has played down the severity of the coronavirus and fought against lockdowns, threw his support behind the move. But public health experts, Supreme Court justices and Brazilian footballers questioned the wisdom of hosting the tournament with a pandemic raging.

More than 475,000 Brazilians have died from covid-19, the world’s worst official death toll outside the United States, and experts warn of a third wave approaching along with winter in the southern hemisphere.

The Brazilian soccer team cited “humanitarian” concerns in a statement criticizing the organization of the Copa America on Wednesday, but they committed to participating in the tournament after rumors of a potential boycott.

Reporting by Carolina Mandl; Editing by Brad Haynes and Emelia Sithole-Matarise