The forthcoming Copa America is a pointless tournament.
Admit it. The first time you heard that this tournament was going to take place in the United States, you raised your eyebrows a little. What reason in the world could take South America’s primary football event, the first tournament for national teams in the world, in its historic centenary year, to be played in a country without any real football (of course, I mean soccer) tradition, such as the USA? And why is it pointless?
Corruption
The main reason this tournament will be played in Texas and Massachusetts and not in Guayaquil, Cuzco or Montevideo is simple: money. A lot of money that has been illegitimately transferred.
After huge doubts over the event during 2015, with marketing and TV rights changing hands between a few companies, it already smelled a bit ‘fishy’. Only on 23 October last year, just eight months before the kick off, was it finally decided that it will be held as planned. The brilliant blog SOCCER POLITICS: A Discussion Forum About The Power Of The Global Game, had an insightful piece on the matter, and the numbers are simply frightening. Copa America competitions always involve bribes and the Copa America Centenario is certainly no exception.
If that’s not enough – there are rumours of Argentina pulling out of the tournament due to government intervention in its football association. It’s been happening everywhere for years. If it’s happening in Argentina, it’s happening in every other country on the continent. And, if that’s the case, the tournament should be stopped.
Copa América 2015, Copa América 2016. What for?!
This tournament is harming the branding of the Copa América. A year ago we had a historical tournament in Chile, where we saw a new South American champion celebrate emotionally. At the stadium where Chile won the cup, people were summarily executed and tortured during the Pinochet regime in the '70s and '80s, which put the rumours about money the referees received to one side.
Let the people breath. Let them enjoy the history they’ve been watching and don’t grind the Copa America brand down. It has its own history and heritage, c’mon!
Neocolonialism with a bit of Symbolism? Or Integration?
So what is it? The USA has never have been a good football (I mean soccer) nation. Their ongoing efforts to implement football into their sports market and audience are becoming pathetic, but extremely successful. With the number of Latin American residents and citizens living in the US, it was only a matter of time until Fútbol had its impact and fan base in Uncle Sam’s living room.
The question is: does this it come from genuine love and passion for the game, or is it just a fake effort to open up another market for the biggest consumer nation on earth? Or is it cultural neocolonialist behaviour by the US, trying to finally beat the Latin Americans in the only sports they are still better at than the North Americans? Or is it a natural development of cultural identity on the American continent? I guess it is a mix of all of them. Whatever it is, you can’t deny it – a Copa América tournament taking place in the US has a dramatic symbolic value in relations between the continent’s North and South.
Absences and Injuries
Having such a tournament year after year has its price. Many players arrive exhausted after two seasons of between 80 to 100 matches and a run of two consecutive seasons in a row with the Copa played in the summer. Neymar won’t play after an agreement with Barca and the Brazilian FA to only play in the Olympics. Douglas Costa won’t be there for Brazil as he is injured. Lucas Bigilia, one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe won’t be there for Argentina, again because of injury. The same also applies to Keylor Navas of Costa Rica too. Pablo Aguilar of Mexico is another, and the list goes on. Why is there this need to ‘kill’ the players? They need the rest in order to keep up their level. If they are not 100% fit to play, the audience won’t enjoy it either. Hold the tournament a year from a now in a South American country, if you want to mark the centenary year of the tournament, but don’t harm the players for God’s sake.
Yes to a Pan-American Cup, but not to the detriment of the Copa América
Don’t get me wrong. I am in favour of an All-American, Pan-American or Inter-American Cup. I think it is a great idea that will benefit all the nations that take part in it; but not instead of or under the name of the Copa América. This tournament started in 1916, before the European Championships and before the World Cup. Its tradition must be cherished and preserved, not sold in order to make a profit in a certain market.
The Copa America Centenario is a pointless event in its current format. It shouldn’t be taking place, but I will still watch it. Why? Because it is the Copa América, because I haven’t missed a tournament since 1999 and because I want to see Fútbol and Futebol teach ´Soccer´ a lesson.