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Copa América 2021 has a new contender: Covid-19
Copa América 2021 has a new contender: Covid-19
Both major competitions of this year, EURO 2021 and Copa America have just begun. Fans have been given the chance to enter the stadiums to watch and enjoy the matches. The odds are better than ever and now is the time to look for the bookie that best suits your purposes, from the list of the top European and American bookmakers we provide for you.
In Europe, we have seen how Covid-19 has affected the different teams and how players have been called to replace those who tested positive. However, the story in South America is quite different. After only four matches, the Brazilian health ministry has reported over 40 cases of infection within the participating teams, involving players, staff, and service providers for the whole tournament.
Venezuela got the worst of it.
The day before the kick-off, the Venezuelan national team reported 13 positive tests for coronavirus, involving 10 players and 3 staff members. Even worse, 8 of those players were amongst the starting 11 for the first match against Brazil.
The Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro had to call new players from the Venezuelan local league to make the necessary changes and complete the roster. The newcomers included 3 goalkeepers, 6 midfielders, 3 defenders, and 3 strikers. As expected, the players weren’t prepared to represent their country resulting in a resounding 3-0 defeat from a full of world-class stars, Brazilian team.
The situation for the rest
Before their first Copa America 2021 match, Bolivia presented 4 positive cases, while, a few days later, Colombia reported about another two staff members that tested positive. The situation escalated even to the organizational staff and service providers, where at least 10 Covid-19 cases have been detected.
With such a number of incidents after just a single game day, all teams and the CONMEBOL management, have become very cautious. The blame game has begun about the manner that this tournament was organized.
Should Copa América have been allowed to begin?
The original plan was for it to be held in Argentina and Colombia. However, Colombia was dismissed by the organizers on political criteria, while the Argentinian government declined its participation because of the pandemic. Instead of canceling the entire event, the organizers decided to select Brazil as the new Copa America host, claiming that the country already had the necessary infrastructure to organize a tournament of this magnitude, as it had already held the 2019 edition as well as the World Cup of 2014.
The choice was controversial, to say the least, as we are talking about the country that stands third in the number of infections after the United States and India. The emerging scenario of infections was already warned about by the skeptics of the assignment. As Miguel Nicolelis, an American neuroscientist put it to BBC Brazil:
“The news is all over the world now and seeing how the second country with more Covid-19 deaths is hosting a continental event is just unbelievable.”
Despite the negative developments, the tournament will continue by implementing additional measures to guarantee the safety of all the people involved. After a total of 27 games, a new champion will rise and be remembered forever, while the pandemic will remain as just a bad moment of the first round. 27 games that can bring you a hefty set of profits if you just open an original betting account.