Copa America on despite strong opposition

The 10-nation South American event is due to kick off on Sunday (Monday in IST) at Brasilia’s Mané Garrincha Stadium, despite criticism of its organiser for hastily relocating the tournament from co-hosts Colombia and Argentina. Justice Carmen Lucia said in her decision that it does not exempt authorities from adopting public health safety measures that are needed to prevent the transmission of the virus.

Last week, the South American Football Confederation unexpectedly relocated the tournament after Colombia was dropped because of civil unrest and Argentina withdrew following a surge in coronavirus infections.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has played down the severity of the coronavirus and fought against lockdowns, threw his support behind the move. But, public health experts and footballers questioned the wisdom of hosting the event with a pandemic raging.

The two injunction requests were presented by opposition parties and the national metalworking industry labour union.