RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil kick off the Copa America that almost never was on Sunday, on home soil for the second time in three years with minnows Venezuela as their opponents in a tournament already dominated by issues off the pitch.

After an often absurd odyssey, the 2020 Copa America kicks off a year late, in a different country and with fewer teams — and, most perplexingly, in the midst of a Covid-19 pandemic raging even more fiercely than it was 12 months ago when the health situation was deemed too dangerous to play.

Co-hosts Argentina and Colombia were stripped of their rights at the 11th hour, due mostly to the deteriorating pandemic situations in those countries but also deadly social unrest in the latter.

In stepped Brazil, supported by the country’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has made a name for himself downplaying the seriousness of the novel coronavirus.

Two years after the Selecao won a ninth title, also on home soil, Brazil are hosting the tournament even though the country has the world’s second highest Covid-19 death toll after the United States, with 480,000 fatalities.

Brazil’s players were reluctant to play on home soil. Now that they’re committed, they’re favoured to win it.

Argentina still loom as a threat, but now as a visiting team. Being away from home takes some pressure off Lionel Messi and his Argentina team.

Brazil players ended speculation about a potential boycott by issuing a unified statement on Wednesday saying they are unsatisfied with the decision to move the tournament to their country, but it wouldn’t stop them representing their national team.

And if South American World Cup qualifiers are anything to go by, the Copa America title is Brazil’s to lose. Brazil have won all six of their games and are six points clear of second place Argentina.

Messi will lead Argentina as the six-time Ballon d’Or winner aims to finally break his trophy drought in top level international competition after three times before losing in the final. He’s also lost a World Cup final with Argentina.

Uruguay will be hoping veteran forwards Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani fire them to a record-extending 16th triumph. Colombia have improved since the return of coach Reinaldo Rueda. Copa America could further enhance the team, which will not have midfielder James Rodriguez because of fitness problems.

No one else has shown the kind of form that would suggest they could upset the odds.

The year’s delay forced guest participants Australia and Qatar to pull out due to scheduling conflicts.

That left two groups of five teams instead of six.

However, rather than alter the format, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) insisted that the top four teams in each group qualify for the quarter-finals, meaning only two of the 10 teams are eliminated after the first round.

Group ‘A’ includes Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay. Brazil are in Group ‘B’ with Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru.

CONMEBOL has made a show of copying the European model of organisation in recent years and the latest Copa was to be the first with a co-hosting model, featuring Colombia and Argentina, at opposite ends of the continent. It just won’t look anything like what it was supposed to. Far from a continental extravaganza, the 2021 Copa America runs the risk of being an embarrassment. That’s provided it makes it to the end.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2021