(Reuters) – Coach Tite said he and Brazil national team players would not publicly present their positions at the Copa America to be held in Brazil ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay, after reports that some athletes would participate. Are reluctant to take the competition.
Brazil was unexpectedly chosen to host the event on Monday after Colombia was pulled out due to ongoing civil unrest and Argentina withdrew due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.
It will be the second time in a row that the tournament will be held in Brazil, which has already claimed more than 465,000 lives from the new coronavirus, second only to the United States.
Brazil recorded 1,682 deaths and 83,391 cases of Kovid-19 on Thursday, according to data released by the Ministry of Health.
Currently, the Brazilian team is preparing for qualifying games for 4 and 8 June in Porto Alegre, and a report by Radio Gaucha states that players from Europe do not want to play in the Copa America.
Tite said the team had an open debate about the tournament on Thursday and would clarify its position next week.
“We have a position, but we are not going to express it now,” he said. “Our priority now is to play well and win the match against Ecuador. We understand that the situation will be clear after this FIFA date.”
(by Andrew Downey in London)
Copyright © Thomson Reuters.
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