FOOTBALL
Federation Australia says it will make inquiries about playing in the
2019 Copa America in Brazil, with the expansion of the South American
tournament announced on Wednesday.
The
host Brazilian football federation (CBF) had a proposal to expand the
competition from 12 teams to 16 for the 2019 tournament accepted.
That
would mean the Copa America would consist of 10 South American teams
- Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Peru, Bolivia,
Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela - and six guest teams.
European
countries such as France, Portugal, Spain and Italy have been
proposed as guests, while Brazilian newspaper Globoesporte report an
Asian guest is a possibility, as CONMEBOL (South American
confederation) aims to take advantage of the globalisation of
football.
That
opens the door for the Socceroos to compete in the event and although
FFA has admitted they have not been approached to participate, there
is an intention to make inquiries.
"We
have not sought nor received any proposal in relation to that
tournament at this point," an FFA spokesperson said.
"It
is a high profile, high quality tournament and we do intend to make
inquiries about it in the near future.
"We
will need to weigh up the pros and cons particularly in relation to
the opportunity to play high quality opposition in Australia at that
time of the year."
The
Copa America will take place from June to July in 2019, meaning the
Socceroos could have a jam-packed schedule of international
tournaments, with the 2019 Asian Cup to be played in the UAE in
January.
The
Copa America is widely considered the third most prestigious
international football tournament - after the World Cup and European
Championships - and is fiercely contested by its participating teams.
Guest
nations are not new. Five from central and North America competed at
the centenary edition last year including the United States and
Mexico. Asia has been represented once before with Japan competing in
1999.
The
Socceroos also have a high-profile international friendly against
Brazil in June at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which will also host
a blockbuster match between South American rivals Brazil and
Argentina.
The
2017 Confederations Cup is also on the horizon with Australia set to
face Chile, Germany and Cameroon.
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