What is the oldest continental soccer competition in the world? That would be Copa América, which brings together national teams from across South America, along with a few nations from elsewhere in the world. (The United States, Mexico and Japan have all been represented in past tournaments.) This year’s edition of the tournament looked to offer some of the best soccer you’re likely to see this year. But now, whether or not the tournament will take place as scheduled is now much less clear.
Unlike many a high-profile cancellation of a sporting event, this has little to do with the pandemic — at least not directly. Instead, as a detailed report from Felipe Cardenas at The Athletic notes, a number of ongoing protests in Colombia — the nation set to co-host the tournament — have left this edition of the tournament’s fate uncertain.
Cardenas writes that the protests began as a response to a proposed tax reform bill, which “was introduced as a pandemic relief measure and included a tax hike on basic necessities, such as milk, eggs, gasoline and utilities.” The response from police has ratcheted up the stakes, leading to an even wider protest movement throughout the nation.
A number of existing club matches have been moved or postponed due to the protests, and several teams have expressed their reluctance to play while the protests are ongoing. With Copa América slated to begin in about a month, its future looks uncertain — several corporate sponsors have expressed an interest in pulling out, and Cardenas notes that Chile could end up taking Colombia’s co-hosting spot this year. Even if that’s resolved, the pandemic remains a serious concern, creating a difficult situation atop a host of other difficult situations for the tournament’s organizers to navigate.
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