Casemiro has suggested that his team was united against hosting the Copa America

Speaking after a 2-0 World Cup qualifier win over Ecuador on Friday, the midfielder said more would be explained soon but suggested that “it’s everyone including Tite” taking the stance.

Brazil players are angry at the Brazilian Football Confederation hierarchy

Brazil captain Casemiro has suggested that his team was united against hosting the Copa America. Speaking after a 2-0 World Cup qualifier win over Ecuador on Friday, the midfielder said more would be explained soon but suggested that “it’s everyone including Tite” taking the stance. He promised to provide additional information after the team’s match with Paraguay on June 8, declining for now to confirm the specific reason for the players’ anger out of respect for the Brazilian Football Confederation hierarchy. However, many people in Brazil are upset that football is coming to the country right now amid the still high record of the Covid case. The competition was moved to Brazil by organizers last week after the original co-hosts Argentina and Colombia were removed from their duties. Argentina is dealing with its Covid crisis, while Colombia has been rocked by political unrest in recent months.

The players want to speak more after the game against Paraguay

“Everyone knows our position in the Copa America in Brazil,” the captain said following the Ecuador match. “It couldn’t be clearer. We want to speak more after the game against Paraguay on June 8. It’s not just me, not just the players who play in Europe. It’s everyone, including Tite. All together.” The day before the competition in Ecuador, Casemiro refused to speak to reporters, while Tite made the first indication of displeasure in the Brazilian squad. The tournament should start on June 13. If the Brazilian players do not talk about the problem again until after the Paraguay game, as Casemiro has expressed will be the case, there would be just a five-day window for CONMEBOL to respond to their statement before the action kicks off.

Despite reports of a possible boycott, it’s worth noting that no one in the organization has publicly identified that as an option. Instead, everyone has remained intentionally private about the ongoing backstage conversations.