However, Tite has revealed that negotiations are ongoing between his players and confederation president Rogerio Caboclo about rejecting the switch, which was agreed upon by Brazilian authorities last week after original hosts Colombia and Argentina were deemed unsuitable to hold Copa matches.
The Copa America has been moved to Brazil from Colombia and Argentina
The Brazilian national team members are heartbroken that the Copa America has been moved to Brazil in a last-minute switch just weeks before the start of the tournament. However, Tite has revealed that negotiations are ongoing between his players and confederation president Rogerio Caboclo about rejecting the switch, which was agreed upon by Brazilian authorities last week after original hosts Colombia and Argentina were deemed unsuitable to hold Copa matches. Colombia is dealing with political unrest, and a spike has rocked Argentina in Covid cases. Casemiro did not show up to his scheduled press conference on Thursday due to his displeasure with the situation, according to his boss, and Brazil are set to face Ecuador in Friday’s World Cup qualifier with the matter still hanging over the squad.
Brazil’s priority now is to play well and beat Ecuador
“We asked the athletes to focus only on the game against Ecuador,” Tite said. “Then they asked to speak directly with the president. It was a straightforward conversation. And then the position of the players also became very clear. We have a position, but we will not reveal it now. Our priority now is to play well and beat Ecuador. We understand that the situation will clear up after this international break. The players have an opinion, they have told it to the president, and they will tell it to the people at the right time. That was the reason why Casemiro, our skipper, was not here for this interview.”
On the field, Brazil will clash with Ecuador in World Cup qualifiers, but off of it, it’s not clear what’s to come. There have been protests against the government to bring the Copa America to the country in the wake of their Covid infection and economic uncertainty. However, the Brazilian players have yet to comment on why they are against the tournament; these comments are expected to arrive shortly.
The Copa America is set to begin on June 13.