Brazil stars ‘will not play’ in Copa America at home as the nation heads for a third wave of Covid, with captain Casemiro ‘banned from attending a press conference’ to publicly express his concerns amid a furious row with the Brazilian Football Confederation.
- The Copa America, which kicks off on June 13, was moved to Brazil at the last minute
- Brazilian national team members are not satisfied with the Copa America transfer
- The original hosts Colombia and Argentina were deemed unsuitable to host the matches
- Casemiro did not attend his press conference scheduled for Thursday
Brazilian stars who play football abroad are said to be refusing to take part in the Copa America at home amid an increase in Covid cases in the country.
Manager Tite insisted his players were unhappy with the last-minute Copa America move, and admitted they would express their views on the matter after they had already spoken to the Brazilian Football Confederation.
The Copa America, which was awarded to defending champions Brazil after excluding Argentina and Colombia as co-hosts, has become a contentious issue amid a spike in Covid cases in the region.
Tite admitted that his players “have an opinion” about Brazil’s selection as the host country for the Copa America
according to as suchBrazil’s players were stunned to find out that the tournament had been moved to their country, leading to the top players being embroiled in an angry row with federation president Rogerio Capoclo.
The report claims that players feel they have been hit by the health crisis and that playing in competition would be insensitive. Players see themselves betrayed and are used by the Federation in their quest to connect with rival players from other countries to form a movement against the tournament.
The dispute with the federation led to Casemiro, the captain of the Brazil national team, not appearing in his press conference scheduled for Thursday after the federation suspended him, angering the Real Madrid star, who was keen to publicly express his complaints.
Reports have since followed that Brazilian internationals who play domestic football in foreign countries will not play in the Copa America due to the crisis.
Tite revealed that his Brazilian team will make his opinion known to the public at the “appropriate time”.
Brazil captain and midfielder Casemiro missed his scheduled press conference on Thursday
“They have an opinion, they showed it to the president … and they will show it to the public at the appropriate time,” Tite revealed at a press conference when asked if his players had asked for permission to skip the tournament.
This is the reason for the absence of our captain Casemiro today.
Brazil is preparing to face Ecuador on Friday and Paraguay next Tuesday in the South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup.
The South American Football Confederation chose Brazil as an alternate host earlier this week after Argentina were excluded due to the spread of Covid.
Colombia was also removed from its co-host status last month amid street protests against President Ivan Duque.
Brazil’s players, executives and coaching staff have not spoken to the media since the decision was announced.
The Brazil team is not satisfied with the country’s hosting of the tournament amid high cases of the “Covid virus”
“We asked the athletes to focus only on the match against Ecuador,” Tite added on Thursday. “Our priority now is to play well and beat Ecuador. We understand that after the two games these situations will be clear.
“I do not avoid answers and present facts, with the understanding that I have,” Tite added. “The Copa America is very important. But tomorrow our match is even more important.
Brazil has recorded about 470,000 deaths due to the ongoing Covid pandemic, and health experts expect a third wave of infections later this month.
Some protests were organized against the government over the decision to transfer Cuba America to the country amid rising Covid cases and economic uncertainty.
But the stars of Brazil have not spoken publicly about why they are against hosting the Copa America, which begins in just nine days.
