Copa América: Colombia boss criticizes Shakira’s half-time performance

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Colombia head coach Nestor Lorenzo criticized CONMEBOL’s decision to extend the 2024 Copa América final from 15 minutes to 25 minutes to accommodate a performance by Colombian pop star Shakira.

“I hope you like it, Shakira is great,” he said in his press conference ahead of Sunday’s final against Argentina at the Hard Rock Stadium. “For a final, when the rules change for both teams, bad pitches for both or the same weather for both, then I can’t say if it’s bad or if it favors one side.

“I can’t understand it, I wish it was like the rest. When we went out in the 16th minute we were penalized, but now that it’s a show we can go out in the 20th minute. The players can get cold. , but it’s on both sides, I found out today that it is so and so it is.

The coach referred to incidents in the group stage where managers Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), Ricardo Gareca (Chile), Marcelo Bielsa (Uruguay) and Fernando Batista (Venezuela) were suspended for one match after each team arrived on the field late game. The country’s football federations were additionally fined $15,000 each.

In addition to the half-time change, CONMEBOL chose to reintroduce extra time in the final. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, a tie in regulation time led to automatic penalty kicks, but the final will have another 30 minutes played before going to penalties.

Regardless of the newly implemented rules, Lorenzo insists Colombia are ready to compete and see James Rodríguez thrive against the reigning Copa America champions.

“He had a great Copa America, we are lucky that he is good and that he has taken over the leadership of the team,” he said. “And that the team supported him and took him to this game, where we want to be. He was one of the best, I don’t know if the best, but one of. And I hope he gives a good performance tomorrow. .”

Rodríguez enters the final with one goal and six assists, surpassing Lionel Messi’s record (5 in 2021) for most assists in an edition of the competition since the records began in 2011. “We know the left foot that James has , we know he is one of the best,” Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano ‘Dibu’ Martínez said of the Colombian figure.

While Argentina are looking to win a third straight major tournament after also winning the 2022 World Cup, Colombia are looking to lift just their second Copa América crown and first since 2001.