THE 2021 Copa America kicks off on tomorrow night when the South American nations join this summer’s feel-good festival of international football, but it does so in controversial circumstances.

Players, especially those of last-minute hosts Brazil, have spoken out against holding the tournament amid the ongoing threat posed by the coronavirus.

It was decided last month that original hosts Argentina and Colombia would not be able to hold the tournament in their respective nations due to a surge of Covid cases in the former and the ongoing uprising against the country’s right-wing government in the latter.