Reports | Brazil national team not to play in Copa America and looking to organize tournament boycott
The 2020 Copa America will be held in Brazil
|According to Dario AS, the Brazil national team have decided not to play in the Copa America and have also contacted the other teams involved in order to organize a tournament boycott. This comes after the Copa America was moved to Brazil despite the dangerous rise of COVID-19 cases in the country.
While political unrest in Colombia saw them stripped as co-hosts of the upcoming Copa America, with Argentina getting sole custody, the rise in COVID-19 cases changed that. The South American country are experiencing a serious rise of COVID cases which saw CONMEBOL look for another host and they finally settled on Brazil. However, that has been met with immense disdane and hate from across the world and South America especially since the situation in Brazil is worse than Argentina.
The South American country are experiencing an unprecedented health crisis which has seen many concerned with how they could actually host a Copa America. The decision to do so, however, has been not met well by the Brazil national team with Casemiro voicing his protests by refusing to show up for the team’s pre-game press conference against Ecuador. But, things have now escalated with the team looking to boycott the tournament completely.
Dario AS has reported that the players from the Selecao national team have made their decision clear with them not set to take part in the Copa America. This comes after the players spoke to Tite and even met with confederation president Rogerio Caboclo, with Dario further reporting that the leaders of the Canarinho dressing room are also looking to organize a tournament wide boycott from the other teams.
The report has also indicated that the players are unhappy that the CBF and the president, Caboclo, has made them appear insensitive to a crisis in a country that has killed nearly 500,000 people. Not only that, Dario AS has further added that Caboclo has reportedly threatened to fire Juninho Paulista, the team's coordinator, for his inability to control the team, which has made the players even more unhappy.
Brazil head coach, Tite, has admitted that the team does have a stance but they aren’t set to reveal it right now and he added that the team are waiting for the right time before they tell the public/people their opinion. Tite also added that the players' stance on the situation is very clear but they've asked them to focus on the game against Ecuador although that has clearly changed now.
"We've asked the athletes to focus only in the game against Ecuador. Then they've (the players) asked to speak directly to the president (Caboclo). It was a very straightforward conversation. And then the players' stance has also became very clear. We have a position but we will not reveal it now," Tite said, reported Goal.
"Our priority now is to play well and to win against Ecuador. We understand that the situation will become clear after this international break. They (the players) have an opinion, they've told it to the president and they will tell it to the people at the right time. That was the reason why Casemiro, our skipper, wasn't here for this interview."
