How has Colombia lost control of Copa America?

Colombia waited 19 years to host a major tournament.

Since their first and only international title, the Copa America, back in 2001, Colombia never hosted any. In June 2019, the CONMEBOL (South American Confederation) decided that Colombia will host the 2020 Copa America together with Argentina. It was the best opportunity for the 'Cafeteros' golden generation to retire with a trophy. But the COVID-19 pandemic ruined the plans, and eventually, CONMEBOL postponed the tournament to June 2021.

Debido a la evolución mundial del Coronavirus y con el objetivo de salvaguardar la salud del fútbol sudamericano, CONMEBOL aplaza la celebración de la 47 edición de @CopaAmerica a las fechas del 11 de junio al 11 de julio de 2021

📌 https://t.co/Ttn3o0gj4Y pic.twitter.com/gykkpVl4cw

— CONMEBOL.com (@CONMEBOL) March 17, 2020

But the problems just began, and the tournament wasn't one of them. In Colombia, like the rest of the world, there was a lockdown, people lost their jobs, and poverty increased. The vaccine's progress is plodding, making the public very frustrated to continue with the corona routine. But when president Ivan Duque decided to raise the taxes, the civilians burned the streets. According to the protesters, three weeks of chaos, violent protests, and marches towards the government and the police use unreasonable force to spread them.

Right now, nearly 50 people were killed, and hundreds are injured, and the protests are unlikely to stop.

Do you remember that Copa America should start on June 13? Before the protests, the sports minister of Colombia, Ernesto Lucena, confirmed that the tournament would be in Colombia but without fans in the stadiums. When the protests started, it seemed that the CONMEBOL would move the tournament to a different country. Still, along with the Colombian politicians, they showed how much they disconnected from the Colombian public. Lucena confirmed that Colombia needs Copa America to unite the nation in these horrible days. In most cases, he wouldn't be wrong, and in the past, the national team indeed connected the people during tournaments, but this time, the civilians understood that there are much more important things with all their love of football. The taxes raise cancelled, and they don't want to cut the momentum to improve their lives.

@CONMEBOL no sean cómplices de este gobierno criminal. No presten su copa para tapar los crímenes de guerra cometidos contra el pueblo colombiano.
¡Mientras siga la masacre abierta contra los colombianos no puede haber fútbol!#SOSColombiaDDHH#NoALaCopaAmericaEnColombia pic.twitter.com/HOzmZFHMyA

— Jaime Liben (@JaimeLibenP) May 22, 2021

The hashtag #NoALaCopaAméricaEnColombia became popular on social networks, and the Colombians don't want to host the tournament. Furthermore, the CONMEBOL and the Colombian federation failed themselves when they support Copa America in Colombia on the one hand, while on the other, Colombian clubs played several "home" matches in other countries in the international competitions. The federation even checked to play the upcoming World Cup qualifier match against Argentina in Miami.

When America de Cali "hosted" Atletico Mineiro in Barranquilla, the police confronted the protesters outside the stadium. They sprayed tear-gas on them, which also caused it to invade the pitch and the players to tear. In addition, the Colombian league was suspended in the last three weeks, and the player organization announced their support on the players no to take part in the league while the current situation continues.

Valle del Cauca county has the most violent confrontations, but also in cities like Bogota and Barranquilla. In the last few days, a national strike has started, and the people said that they went down from the stands to the streets when they march towards the Colombian football federation offices to protest. "We won't let them use football to hide the death and repression against the Colombian public", the protesters claim.

On the other hand, Lucena insists that football will be a message of peace. "we believe in our young generation who goes to protest but the football is here to help, not to turn its back to them. We cannot allow that this beautiful sport will be damaged by Vandalism acts and we cannot give up on hosting the tournament".

Amo el fútbol ⚽️.
Me emociona ver jugar la selección 🇨🇴.
Pero no podemos permitir que la copa América sea una cortina de humo para ocultar todo lo que esta sucediendo en este país. #NoMasViolencia #NoALaCopaAmericaEnColombia pic.twitter.com/wHloPNuMer

— Jhoneider Corredor (@JhoneiderCorre) May 22, 2021

Less than a month before the opening match and it seems that eventually, the CONMEBOL understood that Colombia couldn't provide sufficient guarantees to host, so now they are working on where to move the tournament. Colombia suggested postponing the tournament until November 2021 and then hosting it when fans enter the stadiums, but the CONMECOL refused. Argentina suggested hosting the entire tournament by itself, but now the league matches were suspended until MAY 30 due to COVID-19 second outburst in the country. Uruguay and Chile were also mentioned as possible hosts.

On May 21, the CONMEBOL approved the match between Colombia and Argentina in the South American World Cup qualifiers, which will occur as planned. Yet, Copa America won't take place in the country. Why? We'll have to wait and see. But one thing is for sure: The Colombian public has won its first battle to have a better life.

🖍 | #EspecialFDS

“DESINFLADA...”
Por @Safadybujo #NoALaCopaAméricaEnColombia#Caricatura pic.twitter.com/WUj0sKdJRK

— La Nueva Prensa (@lanuevaprensaco) May 22, 2021