Copa America centennial to be held in US
October 24, 2015
The Americas' two football confederations, along with the US Soccer Federation (USSF), announced on Friday that the 100 year anniversary of the South American Football Championship, better known as the Copa America, will be held in the US.
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the South American Confederation of Football (CONMEBOL) said on Friday that they were "extremely happy" to partner with the USSF in presenting the Copa America centennial tournament, with possible host cities including Washington, San Francisco and Chicago.
"We are extremely happy for our fans, our teams and our partners, that we were able to find a way to host the Copa America Centenario celebration in the United States under an entirely new structure for managing the tournament's operations and finances," CONCACAF and CONMEBOL said in a joint statement.
"The improved governance structure will bring greater accountability and transparency to the event so it can serve its two intended purposes - to celebrate the 100 years of history of Copa America, and provide a once in a lifetime spectacle for fans in the CONCACAF and CONMEBOL regions," the two football federations said in the statement.
FIFA scandal still an issue?
The move comes after both football federations ended their relationship with Datisa, a marketing company that held the Copa America rights.
Datisa allegedly agreed to pay $110 million (99.8 million euros) in bribes to South American football officials, according to US federal prosecutors.
Doubts were cast over the event's viability following US federal prosecutors' decision to unseal indictments against 14 football officials and marketing executives in May, with FIFA suspending Enrique Sanz, the general secretary of CONCACAF, weeks later.
The Centenario Copa America is set to take place from June 2 to 26, 2016, which coincides with the much-anticipated 2016 Euro Cup.
ls/bw (AP, AFP)