June 10 – Major sponsors Mastercard and Ambev have withdrawn their support for the Copa America following a last-minute switch of host venue to Covid-ravaged Brazil.
A statement from Mastercard, a tournament sponsor since 1992, said: “After a careful analysis, we decided not to activate our sponsorship of the Copa América in Brazil.”
Beer giant Ambev said that “its brands will not be present at the Copa America.”
Ruling body Conmebol shifted the continental finals to Brazil after stripping both Argentina and Colombia from the hosting rights, but ever since the tournament’s brand has become toxic.
President Jair Bolsonaro and the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) quickly green lighted the competition, but health officials warned against staging the tournament in the middle of a pandemic that Brazil has struggled to contain. Bolsonaro is a Covid denier.
Brazil’s national players were also incensed that the last-minute decision was taken at a political level without their consultation, causing friction between the CBF hierarchy and both the players and back-room staff. On Tuesday, however, they confirmed their participation in the finals with Brazil scheduled to open the Copa America on Sunday against Venezuela.
Even the Supreme Court will rule in an extraordinary session on appeals against the staging from the Workers’ Party (PT) and the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB). With more than 475,000 deaths and 17 million infections, Brazil is second only to the United States in the world in terms of deaths.
In host cities Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Cuiabá and Goiania, the public health system is also struggling to cope with the influx of Covid patients, with occupancy rates for intensive care units ranging from 70% to 90%.
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