Here’s a testament to how great this summer’s Copa America was: for three weeks, Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, who’s nearly ubiquitous in his country, suddenly wasn’t the center of attention. Says the Guardian’s Joel Richardson, “Football had edged Chávez, and politics, out of the limelight. Almost.”
CONMEBOL (the South America soccer federation) was impressed with Venezuela’s handling of the tournament as host, saying the country’s new stadiums (which cost a fortune in public tax money) compared favorably with those of Germany, host of last summer’s World Cup. Venezuelan officials took those comments a bit further, however. Oscar Naevez, the head of the Copa coordinating committee boasted that, “Venezuela would now rival Brazil in a bid to host a World Cup.” Sports minister Eduardo Alvarez went even further: “Venezuela now has the third-best sports infrastructure in the world. And that is thanks to investment from this government.”
Of course, the government was also lavishly praised in the media for they way it handled the tournament — but that’s because the government controls what the media says. During the final, which Brazil handily won 3-0 against Argentina, Richardson says fans — Venezuelans — could be heard chanting, “The government will fall, the government will fall!” Meanwhile, protestors had taken to the streets over the government’s decision not to renew Radio Caracas Television’s (RCTV) broadcast license.