Due to crises in Colombia and Argentina, Brazil has now been selected to host this year's Copa America, a move which has drawn criticism from many, including the players on the Brazilian National Team themselves.
June 13th 2021 is the official starting date of the Copa America Cup, a prestigious championship between nearly all of South America’s national teams. The competition was to be hosted by Columbia and Argentina. Unfortunately, due to rising Covid-19 cases in Argentina and political turmoil in Columbia it became clear that a new host had to be found as the circumstances in the two countries did not allow the competition to be played there. On May 31st, a decision was made to name Brazil as the new host of the tournament, a decision that released criticism against the president Jair Bolsonaro and his government. Brazil has witnessed a total of 471 000 deaths caused through the coronavirus and is now second in the world for most Covid-related deaths, just behind the United States.
The high risks that still exist due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the high costs that the host has to cover to operate the tournament, are the main reasons for the criticism. In a short period of time Brazil needs to reorganize its sluggish economy and a competition like the Copa America will surely not help the wounded economy of the nation.
The football stars of the Brazilian National Team also reacted by declaring their dissatisfaction with that decision. National coach Tite confirmed a discussion between the players of the Team and The Brazilian Football Confederation president Rogerio Caboclo. As many football fans both within South America and abroad wait for the tournament to begin, the Millennial Agora will follow this situation closely.