Brazil’s supreme court rules Copa América can go ahead ‘as normal’

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Copa América approved by Brazil’s supreme court

The Copa América can start on Sunday. Brazil’s Supreme Court on Friday decided not to scrap the championship of South American countries despite the risks related to the coronavirus.

The Supreme Court considered the issue in response to protests by activist groups, who believe that organizing the Copa América is not justified because of the corona pandemic. With hundreds of thousands of deaths, Brazil is one of the countries in the world hardest hit by the virus.

Despite the protests, a majority of the 11 judges decided that the Copa game could go ahead as normal. “The authorities must establish health protocols and ensure that they are complied with in order to prevent a ‘Copavirus’ with new infections and new virus variants,” the statement said.

It had been uncertain for weeks whether the Copa América could go ahead. The tournament was originally scheduled to be hosted by Colombia and Argentina, but Colombia was eliminated as host country due to political turmoil. More than a week later, Argentina also withdrew due to the worrying corona figures in the country.

Brazil defends title at home (Copa América)

Now the Copa América is played in Brazil for the second edition in a row. The host nation took the title two years ago by beating surprise finalist Peru. Defending champion Brazil begins the tournament on Sunday night with a game against Venezuela.

There are a total of two pools with five countries each. Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay form a group, and the same applies to Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The top four teams qualify for the quarter-finals.

Initially, Australia and Qatar were also scheduled to participate in the Copa América, but those countries withdrew at the beginning of this year due to the busy schedule. In recent years, it has become common for countries from other parts of the world to receive an invitation to the tournament in South America.

With Ajacieden Edson Álvarez (Mexico) and Lisandro Martínez (Argentina) and FC Emmen players Miguel Araujo and Sergio Peña, four players from the Eredivisie participate in the Copa América.

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