Colombia goes offside; Argentina will host Copa América soccer tournament matches

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Conmebol rejected this Thursday the Colombian government’s request to postpone the Copa América, which should start this June 13, so the Andean country will no longer host the tournament, which now only belongs to Argentina. However, there will be changes to accommodate the schedule of 15 matches.

Conmebol argued that the Colombian proposal is not viable “for reasons related to the international calendar of competitions and the tournament logistics”.

Barely an hour after the Colombian government’s proposal was announced in Bogotá, Conmebol issued a statement from its headquarters in Luque (Paraguay) in which it thanked “the enthusiasm and commitment” of President Iván Duque and his team, but explained the reasons that prevent its acceptance.

Finally, it announced the rescheduling of the tournament matches, including the final, which were to be played in four stadiums in the Andean country.

Conmebol guaranteed that the 47th edition of the tournament would be played in the period established last year, from June 13 to July 10.

The proposal made today by the Colombian government had already been hinted at on March 2 by Sports Minister Ernesto Lucena, when he stated that he considered it unfeasible for the Copa América to have no public due to the covid-19 pandemic.

“A Copa América without public would make no sense”, expressed the minister in an interview with Caracol Radio in which he said that the authorities were working on a “biosecurity protocol to have an approximate capacity of 30%”.

In April, the requests began. Former Colombian soccer player Faustino “el Tino” Asprilla asked his country’s president, Ivan Duque, not to host the tournament.

“President @IvanDuque, this is not the time to hold a Copa América in Colombia; this pandemic is causing a lot of human and economic havoc. Today we have other priorities, such as avoiding crowds,” Asprilla said at the time in a message posted on his social networks.

But days later, the president assured that the Copa América would be held with the same biosecurity protocols followed in the local league and Copa Libertadores matches.

“I have an evident commitment on the part of Colombia with Conmebol, and we have said: we are prepared for the Copa América to be played in Colombia with those biosecurity guarantees. As far as we are concerned, which is a group of five teams, we have said: yes, we are ready,” Duque said at the time in an interview.

And on May 5, given the duration and seriousness of the protests, Duque insisted once more that the Copa América would be played in his country, in the midst of the moments of social tension that began on April 28.

“We started work already more than two years ago. In 2021 we have said that we are firm to move it forward”, he expressed in an interview with the Colombian radio station Blu Radio.

On May 18, things became more complicated. The Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, stated that if Colombia could not host the Copa América due to social protests, his country could consider hosting the tournament alone.

“If they comply with all the protocols, we are willing to look into the possibility of organizing it on our own,” he told Radio 10.

And the next day, on Wednesday, May 19, thousands of young people protested in front of the El Campín stadium in Bogotá against the holding of the Copa América in Colombia.

“Don’t let the State score a goal. No to Copa América”, said one of the graffiti that the demonstrators painted on a wall of El Campin, one of the venues of the continental tournament.

Thus, one year, two months, and seven days after March 17, 2020, when Conmebol announced the postponement of the Copa América to 2021 due to the advance of the coronavirus, the tournament took a new uncertain turn with Colombia’s proposal.

Less than an hour later, Conmebol said no, thanked Colombia for its enthusiasm, and showed it the way off the field.