The newspapers Le Monde (France), The Guardian (United Kingdom) and The New York Times (USA) this Monday (31) reflected on CONMEBOL’s decision to move the Copa America holdings to Brazil amid a pandemic. . The health crisis forced neighboring countries to cancel the same tournament despite the financial importance.
french website world South American players’ dissatisfaction with the Copa America in Brazil was highlighted. The newspaper highlighted, “Brazil recorded more than 460,000 deaths from COVID-19 and epidemiologists fear a third wave of contamination. In this context, some international players expressed their opposition to the tournament’s holding.”
“I am impressed that the Copa America will be played regardless of the current situation,” Uruguay’s Luis Suarez told French Afternoon. His compatriot Edinson Cavani also condemned the decision. Le Monde publishes, “It’s terrible irresponsibility to do whatever it takes to play the Copa America. Nothing about social status matters here, even the risks associated with the virus.” Neither are.”
The French newspaper also highlighted the testimony of deputy Marcelo Frexo (Psol) on Twitter. “Argentina turned down the Copa America because of the worsening of the pandemic. There, the moving average of deaths in the past seven days was 470 people … Here, it’s 1,844. Four times as big. It’s a picture of a killer government”, Publishes Le Monde, reproducing Frexo’s tweet.
The newspaper also emphasizes that “this will be the sixth time Brazil will host the Copa America, a competition it has won each time at home (1919, 1922, 1949, 1989 and 2019). In 2019 , the country won the championship for the ninth time, defeating Peru (3-1) in the final.
“Amazing”
For British newspaper The Guardian, CONMEBOL’s decision to hold the tournament in Brazil is “surprising”. “The country has the highest COVID-19 mortality rate in the world with over 400,000 deaths. Demonstrations were held across the country to demand the President’s impeachment, Jair Bolsonaro, for his way of handling the crisis,” he wrote.
The Guardian reports that CONMEBOL Secretary General Gonzalo Beloso said last week that the organization had spoken with Chilean authorities with the aim of hosting some games in the country. “Organizers are reluctant to cancel the tournament because of its financial importance,” analyzes the British newspaper.
“The 2019 Copa América generated $118 million (BRL 616 million) and was the second largest source of annual revenue for the Confederation after the European Champions League equivalent Copa Libertadores,” the periodical highlights on its website.
“Brazil’s president made fun of the lockdown”
The American The New York Times reported that “Brazil, where the number of new cases has decreased recently but remains high, has more COVID-19 cases than any other country other than India and the United States.” Deaths have been observed”. “Its president, Jair Bolsonaro, repeatedly mocked the lockdown, the use of masks and other measures, disregarding the guidance of health experts on dealing with the pandemic”, according to the newspaper, referencing the publication.
The Times then underlines the difference with Argentina, where “the 2020 edition of the Copa America was postponed by a year last spring following the start of the pandemic”.
In Argentina, “Football Fans, the country which last hosted the event in 2011, saw the Copa América as an opportunity to welcome some of the sport’s biggest stars, including Lionel Messi himself. The second spot, which usually occurs every four years, has increased in recent weeks, with opponents on Twitter using the hashtags #NoALaCopaAmericaEnArgentina and #NoToTheCopaAmericaInArgentina, he publishes.
