May 17 – Organisers of the oldest continental competition in world football, the Copa America, are reported to be backing joint hosts Colombia to stage this year’s tournament despite widespread civil unrest.
Conmebol’s top officials are said to be meeting this week to discuss the situation, with the decision likely to be to press ahead with the event that is being staged jointly with Argentina.
As well as the demonstrations, both countries are suffering massively from Covid-19. Argentina, which is due to host the opening match on June 13 against Chile, has suffered more than three million cases, 68,000 of whom have resulted in deaths. Colombia, where unrest on the streets of several cities have led to dozens of fatalities in clashes with police, has also been hit hard by Covid-19 with 78,000 deaths.
The tournament has the backing of Colombia’s embattled President Ivan Duque whose proposal to reform tax and health care sparked the current protests.
“It would be absurd not to play the Copa America if they’re playing the European Championship, especially given the epidemiological figures in certain (European) countries are the same, or even, in some places, worse (than in South America),” he said.
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