Brazil squad boycotting Copa America 2021: The concerns regarding COVID-19 are rapidly emerging among international footballers. After almost a year, the South American football phenomenon is still facing roadblocks. First, Colombia was taken off as a co-host of the tournament due to the growing cases of COVID-19. Later, Argentina was stripped from hosting the COPA America 2021 Live, the latest host country, Brazil, is also facing backlash from the players.
The Brazil President, Jair Bolsonaro, accepted the idea of hosting the tournament with open arms after earlier host countries were removed. But since then, he has faced severe criticism from the fans and Brazilian players along with the Brazilian Football Federation.
Brazil squad boycotting Copa America 2021
Brazil is one of the three most affected countries due to the coronavirus. And they recorded more than 90,000 active cases last Tuesday. The recovery rate is not very high and people are unsure of hosting such a grand event in this torrid time. Due to this fact, the people of Brazil have started protesting against hosting the live stream of Copa America 2021 from the day it was announced as a host.
Following the growing concerns among the fans, Rio de Janeiro’s mayor hinted at the possibility of canceling the scheduled matches in the country. He said that he did ask for Copa America matches to be held in the city and if the COVID-19 cases intensify, he might cancel the matches for the sake of the citizens.
This may lead other Brazilian cities to follow Rio de Janeiro’s path of boycotting Copa America 2021. Brazilian football federation has not made any official statement regarding canceling the tournament and this had led to protest among the Brazilian camp as well.
Speaking with the press before the Ecuador game, Brazil coach Tite did make a clear statement on the position of Brazilian players. He told the players to concentrate only on the game against Ecuador. Their thought on having Copa America 2021 live played in Brazil will be discussed with the federation later on.
The Brazilian captain and Real Madrid defensive midfielder, Casemiro, stated his views on the matter and informed the press about boycotting the tournament completely. He said that almost every player in the squad shares the same view about hosting the event at this time. Therefore, they are united against hosting the tournament.
Most of the Brazilian squad members play for European clubs and if they contract the virus by taking part in the Copa America 2020, they might miss the start of the next season. Moreover, some players had a great season last year. So, contracting the virus at this point of time in their career might take away the opportunity to transfer to a bigger club.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens next. We will keep you updated on any news regarding Copa America 2021.
Also Read: Players and People Against Shifting of Copa America 2021 to Brazil