Copa America threatened by boycott as Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay hesitate to play

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is determined to host the Copa America this summer, even as the country continues to struggle with the raging novel coronavirus pandemic. With the event set to start on June 13, it now faces the possibility of being cancelled as a growing number of teams and players are planning to boycott the event.

Original co-hosts Colombia and Argentina had to pull out after massive political unrest took hold of Colombia, and Argentina was overwhelmed by a third wave of Covid-19 infections. Brazil stepped up to the challenge, with CONMEBOL making the surprise announcement that one of the most badly-hit countries in the world will host the event. Almost 500k coronavirus-related deaths have already been recorded in Brazil from close to 17 million infections.

Despite the staggering death toll, the Copa America is scheduled to go ahead from June 13 to July 10 with four locations already determined - Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Cuiaba and Goiania.

The clincher is that the Brazilian squad itself is not keen on pushing through with the tournament. Many are caught in disbelief that Brazil, of all places has been chosen to host the event given the current situation. However, not many can speak publicly, as going against the decision would have the political implication of going against President Bolsonaro himself.

Argentina, who pulled out of hosting duties due to health and safety concerns, are also left dumbfounded by the decision. According to Marca, Uruguay star Luis Suarez along with his teammates have spoken out against the tournament, and may join a boycott with the Brazilian and Argentine national teams.

However, Brazil does have an abundance of suitable venues that can easily accommodate the games, and CONMEBOL does not see why the Copa America can't push through if the country is already hosting Copa Libertadores games and national competitions.

It remains to be seen how things will unfold in the next few days.