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CONCACAF-CONMEBOL Copa America Could Be a Catastrophe

By Sean Maslin

The logo of the Copa America Centenario 2016 championship is pictured before the official draw at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York on February 21, 2016.The Copa America Centenario, a once-in-a-lifetime soccer summer event, which honors 100 years of the Copa America tournament, will take place in the US from June 3-26, 2016. / AFP / Mladen ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images)
The logo of the Copa America Centenario 2016 championship is pictured before the official draw at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York on February 21, 2016.The Copa America Centenario, a once-in-a-lifetime soccer summer event, which honors 100 years of the Copa America tournament, will take place in the US from June 3-26, 2016. / AFP / Mladen ANTONOV (Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Just when you thought that the FIFA international schedule could not get more congested here comes the CONCACAF-CONMEBOL Copa America.

If reports are to be lived true from ESPN Deportes then it looks like another tournament is on its way.

Now there are a couple of ways one can look at this situation. The first is that more tournament football doesn’t necessarily mean bad football. While there will certainly be those that will decry this effort as too much for players in an already crowded international schedule let’s be honest: if these international tournaments weren’t happening the club teams would be holding their own tournaments.

The major club teams are no angels in this scenario.
The second is that this looks like what it is: a giant cash grab on the parts of both CONCACAF and CONMEBOL. There is no real reason for CONCACAF and CONMEBOL to be doing this tournament much like there is no reason for Europe and Asia to hold a joint tournament. Yes, there are some cultural and footballing ties. Yes, it would be interesting. But what is the point?

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After having very nearly lost this year’s tournament due to racketeering and a long list of white-collar crime one might have expected for the two Confederations to lay low for a bit. But much like their fathers in FIFA who have spent the past week answering questions about another international indictment by Swiss authorities it appears that CONMEBOL and CONCACAF have little problem ignoring their own past mistakes.

How this will also fit into the rest of the international calendar is also a big question that doesn’t seem like we will receive a satisfactory answer. FIFA, as an organization, is like a family member that likes to stack multiple events on top of one another if for no other reason than to flood the market and have all of the attention centered around it.

While it certainly gains a lot of attention what it doesn’t realize is that it is only hurting itself. Part of the allure of these tournaments is that it does offer a counter-point to the club schedule and give previous rivals a chance to root for the same side.
Rather than going through with this monstrosity of a tournament here is a novel concept: let’s allow Olympic teams to field a full senior side. Although it is not a FIFA-sanctioned tournament FIFA does work with the international Olympic Committee to let three players over the age of 23.

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It would provide FIFA the chance to have another tournament. they don’t have to spend anytime propping it up with fake importance, and it will give some players a chance to take a break. The IOC would certainly have no problem dipping into their profits such as what they o with their arrangement with the National Basketball Association.

Another thought might be to do a Copa America-CONMEBOL tournament. Given the rise in popularity not just within American women’s soccer circle but also international women;s soccer now might be the time to give South America a bit of a boost. U.S. Soccer can use it as an opportunity to identify burgeoning markets for potential NWSL franchises.

It is only natural for CONMEBOL and CONCACAF to want to collaborate. Given the social, cultural, and economic ties that the two continents have there are certainly ways and means that they can help one another. But another meaningless men’s tournament does not really bring anything to the footballing world and will only be met with cynicism from both supporters and fans alike.

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