translated from Spanish: Brazil and Venezuela open the Copa America today

This day at 17 hours, Brazil and Venezuela will give the start to the eventful Copa America that will be played in Brazil, after Conmebol chose that country, to the detriment of Colombia and Argentina, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The competition will begin after nearly a dozen cases of covid were confirmed in the Venezuelan national team, and the national teams of Bolivia and Colombia also reported players infected. The holding of the tournament was on hold until Thursday, when Brazil’s Supreme Court rejected the request of opposition parties and workers’ unions, which maintained that holding the event in Brazil was impossible due to the state of the pandemic in the country, which in fifteen months accumulates almost 17.3 million confirmed cases and 485,000 deaths in the country. The captains of the South American teams held conversations in the preview, regarding their impressions about the realization of the tournament, and although initially the opposition of the five-time champions had transcended, finally all confirmed their participation. In Brazil, Thiago Silva and Gabigol return, while Venezuela is marginalized by covid cases in its delegation. Brazil and Venezuela are part of group B that also make up Colombia and Ecuador that face the 20 hours, and Peru, that has the day off. Tomorrow, meanwhile, Chile and Argentina will be measured at 17 hours by Group A, which also make up Paraguay and Bolivia (which are measured at 20 hours) and Uruguay that will have the first day off.

Original source in Spanish