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On Monday, Brazil hosted the next Copa America football tournament, despite one of the worst coronavirus crises in the world and facing the third wave of the disease.
The announcement came after the previous co-hosts from Argentina and Colombia came out. Buenos Aires mentioned an increasing number Covid-19 cases and Bogota stated protests Squeezing Colombia.
The competition – which was already delayed last year – will begin in the coming weeks.
“The world’s oldest national team championship will shake the entire continent,” tweeted Conmebol, the South American football federation, and thanked Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for his “immediate support” for the competition.
Latin America and the Caribbean Covid-19 has been one of the most affected regions in the world, with more than 1m due to the disease and tens of millions more due to the economy. The region accounts for 30% of all deaths from the pandemic.
In Brazil alone, more than 460,000 civilians have been killed, making it the second-highest number in the world in absolute terms after the United States. In per capita numbers, the nation is eighth.
Brazil’s decision to host the tournament sparked ridicule and contempt among scholars and politicians, and many suggested that the spread of the coronavirus would worsen and be compared to the Tokyo Olympics, which are causing consternation in Japan.
“Is Bolsonaro serious? With the risk of a pandemic, the arrival of the third wave, a lack of beds and supplies, and slow vaccinations? Unbelievable, ”said Gleisi Hoffmann, president of the opposition Workers’ Party.
Paulo Câmara, governor of the northeastern state of Pernambuco, said the state will not allow games to be played there.
Despite suffering a second severe wave a few months ago, scientists and doctors in Latin America’s largest country have sounded the alarm as a result of a potential new rise after the number stopped. The seven-day average for new daily cases was more than 61,000 on Sunday, more than 56,000 years ago.
Neighboring Argentina, meanwhile, is in the middle of a second wave.
“In so many cases, we have not been able to move forward in organizing such a tournament,” said Santiago Cafiero, the head of the Argentine government’s cabinet. “We were committed to organizing, we tried to comply with the order, but the epidemiological realities prevented us from doing so.”
According to a poll conducted by the Poliarchy, about 70 percent of Argentines are against holding the tournament in the country
In Colombia, President Iván Duque asked Conmebol to postpone the tournament until November, following protests against his government. Some of the games were to be played in the city Cali, which has become the epicenter of protests.
Conmebol refused and said he would look for another place.
The organization of the Copa America is usually decided alphabetically, although there have been many changes in the format of the tournament in its 105-year history. The tournament was last organized by Brazil – and it won in 2019.
Additional news from Carolina Pulice
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