Coronavirus pandemic: CONMEBOL postpones Copa America to 2021 in bid to finish suspended domestic leagues

Copa America has been postponed until 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak. South American football body CONMEBOL says the tournament in Colombia and Argentina will be played between 11 June and 11 July. CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez said “it is an extraordinary measure for an unexpected situation, and it answers the fundamental need to avoid an exponential development of the virus." The Copa America 2020’s European equivalent — the Euro 2020 — was also postponed till 2021. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin thanked CONMEBOL and Dominguez in a statement issued, saying, “I would also like to thank Alejandro Domínguez and CONMEBOL, who have agreed to move CONMEBOL’s 2020 Copa America in order to follow the recommendations issued by the international public health organisations to enact extreme measures and as a result of EURO 2020 being postponed.”

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

“This means that clubs and leagues in Europe will have as little disruption as possible in the availability of their players. These joint efforts and especially this coordinated and responsible decision, are deeply appreciated by the whole European football community,” he added. Brazil are the reigning Copa America champions, who won the 2019 edition of the tournament after beating Peru by a 3-1 margin. **Follow LIVE updates on coronavirus pandemic here** With inputs from AP.