The 2021 Copa América has given those in charge of putting it together quite a few headaches, and this week's developments could even see the competition taking place behind closed doors for the first time ever.
The first obstacle to celebrate the competition when it was supposed to came last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced to cancel all international activity. Everyone thought that postponing it for a year would give time for things to get back in shape, but that was not the case judging by the recent problems encountered by CONMEBOL.
First, the political unrest in Colombia prompted a request by the government to postpone the competition to late December. The protests over political issues and the rise of COVID-19 cases prompted such a request by the Colombian government, which was rejected hours later by CONMEBOL, who decided to give the responsibility of putting the tournament together to Argentina, rather than sharing those duties with another South American country.
The latest blow to the oldest national team competition in the world came in Friday's earlier hours, when Argentine president Alberto Fernández urged people to stay home due to the rising cases of COVID-19 cases in the country. The decision also caused the Argentine Football Association to postpone all football games for the Copa de la Liga and the Argentine second tier, which were set to be played this weekend. All football games will be suspended until May 30, and the possibility of having Copa América games without fans in the stands is growing with each passing minute.
The 2021 Copa América is set to kick off on June 13, while the title clash is scheduled to be played on July 10, 2021.
