Brazilian Supreme Court Rules Copa America to Continue

The Judges held an emergency session on Thursday to consider requests to stop the competition because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was argued that hosting the Copa America tournament would endanger the lives of thousands of Brazilian people.

However, the judges said that the Brazilian constitution did not give the court the power to block it.

The court, however, directed the state governors and city mayors to ensure "appropriate health protocols" are respected.

Also Read: Copa America 2021: Brazil Players Criticizes the Decision to Host the Tournament

The judges also expressed their dismay at Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's last-minute decision to stage the Copa America tournament, which will be held with no fans in stadiums.

The teams will be forced to conduct mandatory testing after every 48 hours and their movements restricted.

The tournament was postponed from 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic where it was to be hosted in Colombia and Argentina.

Colombia was removed from hosting the tournament because of domestic unrest and Argentina was canceled from hosting because of the ‘present circumstances’ of coronavirus.

Earlier this week, Brazil's national players criticized the government’s decision to hold the tournament in their country.