Following uncertain moments after finding out his father had been incarcerated for running over a 19-year old in a motorcycle, striker Edinson Cavani determined to continue his partipation with Uruguay in this Copa América edition. During the pre-match press conference, coach Oscar Tabarez reluctantly spoke about the player's situation, handing him all the responsibilty to decide if he travelled back to Uruguay to support his father, or if he chose to continue playing with the team for at least one more game.
"Honestly, I can't tell you how he is doing, because it's a very personal situation for him, but he is truly affected by it, obviously. We will let things calm for a bit, then we will give him the chance to decide whether he wants to stay with us or not. He has to understand that he's part of a team, and there are too many things at stake. He can't just walk out of here as we see him off," Tabarez stated.
Later in the day, Cavani's mother revealed the player will return to his home country once the team finishes the game against Chile. If the team moves on to the semi-finals, Cavani will visit his father in prison, travelling back to the team's hotel on Friday. If the Uruguayans are eliminated, Cavani will be supporting his father full-time.
Tabarez also spoke about the general feeling this Copa América has left for all those teams participating. Against all odds, the seasoned coach believes that all remaining teams have a chance of fighting for the top prize, since no side has shown to be as dominant as stats and experts believed.
