Copa America tournament will be played in Brazil, CONMEBOL confirms

SANTIAGO:

South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), the governing body of the Copa America tournament, announced that Brazil will now host the tournament games, after Argentina withdraws following the surge in COVID-19 cases and a lockdown imposed in the country since May.

The oldest national team tournament in the world which features ten South American countries, was supposed to be jointly hosted for the first time in 105 years of the tournament's history, by Argentina and Colombia, but the plan was "ripped". 

After Argentina withdrew, the Body tweeted that the tournament will now be played in Brazil. The venues and the fixture will be informed in the upcoming hours. 

Argentina has recorded more than 3.7 million coronavirus cases and more than 76,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Colombia has also dropped out as a co-host on May 20, after its request to the Body to delay the tournament due to social and economic unrest in the country was rejected, sources reported.

The tournament had been scheduled to start on June 13 and end on July 10.

The Body has also assured that vaccination will be given to all players before the tournament.

Brazil who won the last tournament in 2019 will now defend its crown on home soil.
(with inputs from TalkSPORT)

(Edited by Marvin Kharsohnoh)

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