Argentina confirm Copa withdrawal
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Argentina have pulled out of the Copa America after the South American Football Confederation announced that the tournament is to go ahead as originally scheduled in Colombia, starting on Wednesday.
The Confederation had first postponed the event for a year following safety fears, after the kidnapping of an organising official added to the concerns caused by a spate of bombings in host cities. However, due to pressure from the Colombian government and event sponsors, the 2001 Copa America will take place as planned.
Canada, invited to play in the Copa as a guest nation, have also pulled out. "This caught us completely by surprise. We haven't spoken to any of the clubs and the team is completely scattered," said their spokesman Morgan Quarry.
The withdrawal of Argentina and Canada leaves the organisers with the problem of having only 10 participating nations, most of which seem certain to send second-string squads to a tournament which was fast losing importance and credibility. Even before the postponement, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru and Colombia had decided to rest their best players, following a recent trend when the Copa has played second fiddle to the World Cup qualifying competition.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments