CONMEBOL Yields: Allows Warm-up on Field After Marta’s Criticism in Copa América

CONMEBOL Modifies Warm-up Protocols in the Women’s Copa América

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) announced this Friday adjustments to the protocols prior to the Women’s Copa América matches in Ecuador. The main modification allows players to warm up on the playing field. This decision comes after the criticism issued by players and the coaching staff of the Brazilian national team. From now on, in addition to goalkeepers, who already had a 15-minute warm-up period on the field, outfield players will also be able to warm up on the pitch for the same amount of time. According to the CONMEBOL statement, the measure was taken after a detailed evaluation of the conditions of the pitches in the stadiums and after considering the opinions of some participating teams. Previously, the tournament organizers had forbidden field players from warming up on the pitch to preserve the surface, given that each stadium hosted two matches per day during the group stage.

Brazil’s captain, Marta, along with midfielder Ary Borges and coach Arthur Elias, expressed their frustration after the victory in the group stage against Bolivia. Both teams were forced to warm up in a shared room of about 15 square meters with the smell of paint.

I haven’t played a tournament here in South America for a long time, and we were saddened by these circumstances.

Marta

They also criticized the restrictions imposed in the inaugural match against Venezuela, arguing that they could not adequately assess Kerolin’s physical condition, which ultimately led to the Manchester City forward being sidelined. Brazil, the defending champion, leads Group B with two victories and will face Paraguay on Tuesday.