Sergiño Dest Criticizes Copa America In The United States
The Copa America is one of the most important tournaments at the national team level in South America. This year, the host will be the United States, just like in the Centenary edition, which has sparked mixed reactions among fans and players.
One of the players who has spoken out to express his displeasure about the choice of the North American country as the venue is Sergiño Dest, a full-back for PSV -on loan from Barça- and a key player in the United States national team's defense.
"I would have loved to have had the Copa America in South America," emphasized Dest.
The American pointed out that he was 'disappointed' with the transfer of the tournament to US soil, comparing it to holding the European Championship in Africa. Likewise, he emphasized and criticized that modern organizations are guided by money and not by tradition.
"In my opinion, the future is the most important thing, above money and all that, so I'm a little disappointed that it's not in one of those South American nations. That's where it started and that's where it should be. It's like playing the European Championship in Africa. It doesn't make sense to me. But nowadays everything is about money," he emphasized.
Originally, the tournament was to be held in Ecuador; however, CONMEBOL asked FIFA for a schedule change in 2020 in order to align the tournament with the European Championship.
Previously, there was a rotation cycle to allow South American countries to host the Copa America; however, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil repeated as hosts, and the choice of the United States for the Centenary edition led CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez to say that 'it was just an application.' With this statement, the Ecuadorians decided to appeal, but in the end, they withdrew their candidacy, leaving the organization to the United States.
The Copa America will kick off on June 20 and will be played until July 14.