Copa America 2021: Colombia dropped as co-host
By Team Newsable | First Published May 21, 2021, 3:42 PM ISTCopa America is the longest-reigning continental football and the second-longest international competition after Olympics. The 2021 Copa America would be its 47th edition, with Brazil being the nine-time defending champion.
The Copa America 2021 will not be held in Colombia. The decision has been taken by the South American Football Confederation following months of anti-government protests in the country, leading to political unrest.
The 47th edition of the Copa America was due to be held next month, with Argentine and Colombia being the co-hosts. However, the prolonged anti-government protests, followed by a report from the US State Department on the safety of travelling to the South American nation, compelled CONMEBOL to scrap Colombia of its hosting rights. Although Colombia urged CONMEBOL to postpone the tournament to November, the same was denied by the latter.
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"For reasons related to the international calendar of competitions and the logistics of the tournament, it is impossible to transfer the Copa América 2021 to the month of November. CONMEBOL appreciates the enthusiasm and commitment of the President of the Republic of Colombia, Mr Iván Duque and his collaborators, as well as the President of the Colombian Soccer Federation, Ramón Jesurún, and his team. It is certain that in the future new projects will emerge together for the growth of Colombian and South American soccer," said CONMEBOL in a statement.
It is currently unclear if Argentine would host all the matches or will a new nation be awarded the right for a co-host. Nevertheless, with less than a month to go, it seems practically impossible for a country to prepare for a tournament of the magnitude like Copa America so soon, especially in this pandemic era. Meanwhile, Argentina president Alberto Fernandez has already expressed his interest in his country's ability to host the entire tournament solely.
"CONMEBOL ensures the realization of the CONMEBOL Copa América 2021 and will report in the coming days the relocation of the matches that were to be played in Colombia," the statement added. The competition was scheduled to be held last year but was postponed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be played between ten teams from June 13-July 10, with Brazil being the nine-time defending champion.
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