This year’s Copa America was on Tuesday postponed to next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said.
The announcement came shortly after the decision to push back the UEFA European Championship by 12 months.
Soccer worldwide has come to a grinding halt due to the coronavirus outbreak, with the UEFA Champions League, Copa Libertadores and almost all national soccer leagues suspended.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Other sports like tennis, golf, rugby and Formula One have also either delayed or canceled a host of events and competitions.
The Copa America is South America’s main continental competition between national sides and had been scheduled to run from June 12 to July 12.
“This has hit us hard, we were really excited about staging it,” Colombian Minister of Sport Ernesto Lucena told reporters, but added that “health comes before competition.”
It was to be staged for the first time in two countries rather than one, with 12 teams taking part, including invitees Australia and 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar.
“It’s an extraordinary measure due to an unexpected situation, and therefore responds to the fundamental need to avoid an exponential evolution of the virus,” CONMEBOL said.
The tournament is now rescheduled to run from June 11 to July 11 next year.
“It wasn’t easy to take this decision, but we have to safeguard at all times the health of our sportsmen and all the stakeholders that form part of the large South American football family,” CONMEBOL said.
“There’s no doubt that the oldest national team tournament in the world will return with renewed strength in 2021, ready to once again make the continent and the whole world vibrate with the passion that also defines us,” it added.
The decision was taken in conjunction with UEFA’s move to postpone the Euros.
“We also thank UEFA and its president Aleksander Ceferin for working together and the coordinated decision to also postpone the 2020 Euros for the betterment of the whole football family,” CONMEBOL said.
The South American governing body had decided to align the Copa America, which mostly used to be played in odd years, with the Euros in order to reduce the effects on clubs in Europe, where a large number of South American international players ply their trade.
Chile’s Colombian coach Reinaldo Rueda said that the decision was “coherent” with the aim of aligning the Copa America with the Euros.
Club soccer worldwide has been suspended due to the coronavirus, leaving teams and leagues sweating on whether they would be able to finish the current season.
The start of World Cup qualifying in South America, which was due to begin at the end of this month, has also been postponed.
The suspension of the Copa America and the Euros increases the chances of domestic leagues being brought to a conclusion, as long as such social limitations are lifted in the coming weeks or months.
Brazil won the last year’s Copa America on home soil, beating outsiders Peru 3-1 in the final at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana.
For the next edition, the 12 competing teams have been drawn into two geographical groups, one in the north of the continent, hosted by Colombia, and the other in the south, hosted by Argentina.
Australia have been drawn in the south zone and Qatar are to play in the north zone.
The final is to be played in the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez in Barranquilla, Colombia.
“Obviously there are economic impacts, but for now preparations are just delayed,” Lucena said.
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