BUENOS AIRES, May 26 (Xinhua) — Argentina is considering a request from the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) to be the sole host of this year’s Copa America, a senior official said on Wednesday.
CONMEBOL last week dropped Colombia as a co-host amid violent anti-government protests and soaring COVID-19 cases in the Andean nation.
The tournament is slated to run from June 13 to July 10, having been postponed by a year because of the pandemic.
“There is an offer to hold the entire tournament in Argentina, but first we have to resolve the part we’ve already committed to,” Santiago Cafiero, the Argentine government’s cabinet chief, told Radio La Red.
“The debate and the task that we have now is to discuss the venues. We have nothing against it from a health point of view but we do have to take all precautions. That’s what we are working on.”
By staging the tournament alone, Argentina would host 28 matches, up from its previous allocation of 13.
The country’s health ministry has reported more than 3.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases and over 75,000 deaths.
New daily infections exceeded 39,000 on May 19, their highest level in the country since the pandemic began.
Last Saturday, President Alberto Fernandez imposed lockdowns in areas with high contagion rates.
