2015 Copa América Explained

Other Titles:Copa América Chile 2015
Country:Chile
Dates:11 June – 4 July
Num Teams:12
Confederations:2
Venues:9
Cities:8
Champion:Chile
Count:1
Second:Argentina
Third:Peru
Fourth:Paraguay
Matches:26
Goals:59
Top Scorer: Eduardo Vargas
Paolo Guerrero
(4 goals each)
Player: Lionel Messi
Goalkeeper: Claudio Bravo
Young Player: Jeison Murillo
Prevseason:2011
Nextseason:2016

The 2015 Copa América was the 44th edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for national teams in South America, and took place in Chile between 11 June and 4 July 2015.[1] The competition was organized by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body.

Twelve teams competed: the ten members of CONMEBOL and two guests from CONCACAFMexico and Jamaica, the latter of which competed in the Copa América for the first time.

Uruguay were the defending champions, but were eliminated by the host nation Chile in the quarter-finals. Chile won their first title, defeating Argentina in the final on penalties after a goalless draw. As winners, they qualified for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.

Host country

Originally, it was to be hosted by Brazil, as suggested by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) in February 2011[2] due to CONMEBOL's rotation policy of tournaments being held in alphabetical order. However, due to the organization of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics in that country, Brazil decided against also hosting the Copa América. CONMEBOL's president Nicolas Leoz had mentioned the possibility of the tournament being organized in Mexico (despite this country not being a member of CONMEBOL) as part of the federation's centenary celebrations.[3] Brazil and Chile's Football Federations discussed the idea of swapping around the order of being hosts of the 2015 and 2019 tournaments.[4] The swap was made official in May 2012.[5]

Venues

There were nine different stadiums in eight cities used for the tournament. Most stadiums were renovated or rebuilt for the contest.

SantiagoConcepción
Estadio NacionalEstadio MonumentalEstadio Municipal de Concepción
Capacity: 48,745[6] Capacity: 47,347[7] Capacity: 30,448
Viña del MarAntofagastaValparaíso
Estadio SausalitoEstadio Regional de AntofagastaEstadio Elías Figueroa
Capacity: 22,360Capacity: 21,170Capacity: 21,113
TemucoLa SerenaRancagua
Estadio Municipal Germán BeckerEstadio La PortadaEstadio El Teniente
Capacity: 18,413Capacity: 18,243Capacity: 13,849

Teams

Mexico and Japan were initially invited to join the 10 CONMEBOL nations in the tournament.[8] [9] Japan declined the invitation, and China was invited instead,[10] [11] but later withdrew due to the Asian sector of qualification for the 2018 World Cup being held at the same time.[12] [13] In May 2014, it was announced that the Jamaica Football Federation had accepted an invitation to participate,[14] thus making Jamaica the first Caribbean nation to compete in Copa America.

(invitee) (title holder)
(host nation) (invitee)

Draw

The draw of the tournament was originally to be held on 27 October 2014 in Viña del Mar,[15] but was postponed to 24 November.[16] The 12 teams were drawn into three groups of four.[17]

CONMEBOL announced the composition of the four pots on 10 November 2014.[18] [19] Pot 1 contained the hosts Chile (which has been automatically assigned to position A1), together with Argentina and Brazil. The remaining nine teams were allocated to the other three pots according to their FIFA World Rankings as of 23 October 2014 (shown in brackets), even though Colombia was rated higher than Brazil.[20] On 23 November 2014, it was announced by CONMEBOL that Argentina and Brazil had been assigned to positions B1 and C1, respectively.[21]

width=25%Pot 1width=25%Pot 2width=25%Pot 3width=25%Pot 4
(13) (hosts)
(2)
(6)
(3)
(8)
(17)
(27)
(54)
(76)
(85)
(103)
(113)

Squads

See main article: 2015 Copa América squads. Each country had a final squad of 23 players (three of whom had to be goalkeepers) which had to be submitted before the deadline of 1 June 2015.[22]

The 2015 UEFA Champions League Final date of 6 June caused problems for South American players for Barcelona and Juventus. FIFA international rules require clubs to release players 14 days prior to the start of an international tournament, but the players featured in the final, leaving them at most five days to acclimate.[23] For example, Arturo Vidal arrived two days before Chile's first match against Ecuador, and played with little training with his national team.[24]

Mexico manager Miguel Herrera decided to prioritize the upcoming 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, saying, "We have to win at all costs in order to face the United States in the playoffs that guarantee a spot in the 2017 Confederations Cup."[25] The Mexican squad was a team composed mostly from the local league with little international experience.

Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez was suspended for the whole tournament, as he served a nine-match ban in international football for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay's final group stage match against Italy in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[26]

Match officials

Source:[27]

CountryRefereeAssistant refereesMatches refereed
ArgentinaNéstor PitanaHernán Maidana
Juan Pablo Belatti
Chile-Ecuador (Group A)
Colombia-Peru (Group C)
BoliviaRaúl OroscoJavier Bustillos
Juan P. Montaño
Peru-Venezuela (Group C)
Peru-Paraguay (Third place playoff)
BrazilSandro RicciEmerson de Carvalho
Fábio Pereira
Argentina-Uruguay (Group B)
Chile-Uruguay (Quarter-finals)
Argentina-Paraguay (Semi-finals)
ChileEnrique Osses
Jorge Osorio
Julio Bascuñán
Carlos Astroza
Marcelo Barraza
Raúl Orellana
Osses-Astroza-Barraza:
Brazil-Colombia (Group C)
Bascuñán-Astroza-Barraza:
Argentina-Jamaica (Group B)
ColombiaWilmar RoldánAlexander Guzmán
Cristian De La Cruz
Argentina-Paraguay (Group B)
Bolivia-Peru (Quarter-finals)
Chile-Argentina (Final)
EcuadorCarlos VeraChristian Lescano
Byron Romero
Paraguay-Jamaica (Group B)
ParaguayEnrique CáceresRodney Aquino
Carlos Cáceres
Chile-Mexico (Group A)
Brazil-Venezuela (Group C)
PeruVíctor Hugo CarrilloCésar Escano
Jonny Bossio
Mexico-Bolivia (Group A)
UruguayAndrés CunhaMauricio Espinosa
Carlos Pastorino
Colombia-Venezuela (Group C)
Chile-Bolivia (Group A)
Brazil-Paraguay (Quarter-finals)
VenezuelaJosé ArgoteJorge Urrego
Jairo Romero
Uruguay-Jamaica (Group B)
Mexico-Ecuador (Group A)
Chile-Peru (Semi-finals)
El SalvadorJoel Aguilar Garnet Page
Ricardo Morgan
Ecuador-Bolivia (Group A)
MexicoRoberto GarcíaJosé Luis Camargo
Marvin Torrentera
Brazil-Peru (Group C)
Uruguay-Paraguay (Group B)
Argentina-Colombia (Quarter-finals)

Group stage

The fixture schedule was announced on 11 November 2014.[28]

The first round, or group stage, saw the twelve teams divided into three groups of four teams. Each group was a round-robin of six games, where each team played one match against each of the other teams in the same group. Teams were awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and none for a defeat. The teams finishing first, second and two best-placed third teams in each group qualified for the quarter-finals.

Tie-breaking criteriaTeams were ranked on the following criteria:
  1. Greater number of points in all group matches
  2. Goal difference in all group matches
  3. Greater number of goals scored in all group matches
  4. Head-to-head result (between two teams only)
  5. Penalty shoot-out (if both teams are playing the last match of the group stage)
  6. Drawing of lots by the CONMEBOL Organizing Committee

All times local, CLT (UTC−3).[29]

Group A

See main article: 2015 Copa América Group A.

width=25%width=10%width=25%
11 June 2015
2–0Estadio Nacional, Santiago
12 June 2015
0–0Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar
15 June 2015
2–3Estadio Elías Figueroa, Valparaíso
3–3Estadio Nacional, Santiago
19 June 2015
1–2Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua
Estadio Nacional, Santiago

Group B

See main article: 2015 Copa América Group B.

width=25%width=10%width=25%
13 June 2015
1–0Estadio Regional de Antofagasta, Antofagasta
2–2Estadio La Portada, La Serena
16 June 2015
1–0Estadio Regional de Antofagasta, Antofagasta
1–0Estadio La Portada, La Serena
20 June 2015
1–1Estadio La Portada, La Serena
Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar

Group C

See main article: 2015 Copa América Group C.

width=25%width=10%width=25%
14 June 2015
0–1Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua
2–1Estadio Municipal Germán Becker, Temuco
17 June 2015
0–1Estadio Monumental David Arellano, Santiago
18 June 2015
1–0Estadio Elías Figueroa, Valparaíso
21 June 2015
0–0Estadio Municipal Germán Becker, Temuco
Estadio Monumental David Arellano, Santiago

Ranking of third placed teams

Knockout stage

See main article: 2015 Copa América knockout stage.

In the knockout stage, the eight teams played a single-elimination tournament, with the following rules:[22]

Quarter-finals

------------

Semi-finals

----

Final

See main article: 2015 Copa América Final.

Statistics

Goalscorers

Chile's Eduardo Vargas and Peru's Paolo Guerrero scored the most goals, with 4 each.

Assists

3 assists[30]

2 assists[30]

Awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament.[31]

Final Man of the Match Award

Team of the Tournament

[36]

Marketing

Sponsorship

Logo and slogan

On 2 April 2014, the official logo was unveiled, along with the slogan "El Corazón del Fútbol" ("The Heart of Football").

Match ball

On 16 November 2014, the official match ball (OMB) was unveiled at the Estadio Nacional. The name of the ball is Nike Cachaña, which is a Chilean slang term for a successful feint or dribble. During its launch, the Chilean international Arturo Vidal was present. The ball is mainly designed with white as main appearance featured with blue and red applications, representing host nation Chile. The colors of Chilean flag make a statement in the design of this ball: the red representing the people, the blue symbolizing the Chilean sky, and the white for the Andes that so strongly define the geography of this country.[38]

Mascot

The official mascot of the tournament, a young culpeo fox, was unveiled on 17 November 2014.[39] The name of the mascot, "Zincha" (from Zorro (fox) and hINCHA (fan)), was chosen by the public over two other options, "Andi" and "Kul".[40]

Official song

"Al Sur del Mundo" by Chilean group Noche de Brujas served as the official song of the tournament. It was performed during the opening ceremony of the competition on 11 June. It features the different cultures of the twelve competing nations.[41]

Incidents and controversies

The day after Chile's 3–3 draw against Mexico in their second group match, Jorge Sampaoli gave the players a day off from training. They had to return to the training ground by 9pm, but Arturo Vidal did not arrive. He had been involved in a traffic accident on his way back to the ground,[42] and arrested for driving under the influence.[43] He spent the night in jail, and appeared in court the morning after.[44] His driving license was revoked, and he was sentenced to pay for the damage done. Although there was speculation that he would be dropped, Sampaoli opted to keep him on the team.[45]

An on-pitch brawl broke out following Colombia's 1–0 win over Brazil in their second group match; Brazilian captain Neymar deliberately kicked the ball at opponent Pablo Armero and attempted to headbutt Colombian matchwinner Jeison Murillo, earning a red card. As a result, Colombian forward Carlos Bacca retaliated by pushing Neymar over, and was himself sent off.[46] CONMEBOL fined Neymar $10,000 and suspended him for four matches, ruling him out for the remainder of the tournament,[47] while Bacca was suspended for two matches.[48]

In Chile's quarter-final victory over Uruguay, full-back Gonzalo Jara poked Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani in the anus, and then fell when Cavani slapped him in retaliation. Both Cavani and Jara received a yellow card for the incident, which resulted in Cavani being sent off because he had previously received another yellow card for insulting one of the referees' assistants. Jara was later suspended for two games, which made him miss the rest of the tournament.[49] His club, Mainz 05 of Germany, criticized Jara for the incident and stated that he would be sold.[50] However he would remain with the club until 16 January 2016 when he agreed to terminate his contract with them.[51]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Copa América Chile-2015 will be held from June 11 to July 4. CONMEBOL.com. 12 February 2014.
  2. Web site: Copa América será no Brasil em 2015, confirma CBF em seminário. Iannacca. Márcio. globoesporte.com.
  3. Web site: Conmebol quiere la Copa América 2015 en México sobre Chile. COPESA, Consorcio Periodistico de Chile S.A.. 21 July 2009. latercera.com. 9 July 2010. 27 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150927162525/http://www.latercera.com/contenido/688_159045_9.shtml. dead.
  4. Web site: nacion.cl – La Copa América da otro paso hacia Chile. Nación.cl. 9 July 2010. 9 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120309153401/http://www.lanacion.cl/prontus_noticias_v2/site/artic/20090807/pags/20090807203524.html. dead.
  5. Web site: Es oficial: la Copa América 2015 será en Chile . It's official: the 2015 Copa América will be in Chile . es . 10 May 2012 . 20 May 2012 . conmebol.com . . 29 January 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130129181404/http://conmebol.com//asociaciones/Es-oficial-la-Copa-America-2015-sera-en-Chile-20120509-0007.html . dead .
  6. Web site: Copa América 2015. conmebol.com.
  7. Web site: Santiago: sede de la Copa América Chile 2015 – Copa America 2015. Copa América. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150626170434/http://www.ca2015.com/es/venue/santiago-el-atractivo-de-la-gran-capital/slsaopqfgwo216xizi74oevqx. 26 June 2015. 26 June 2015.
  8. Web site: Reunión de Presidentes y el C. Ejecutivo . https://archive.today/20130102075444/http://wp1.conmebol.com/asociaciones/Reunion-de-Presidentes-y-Comite-Ejec.-20121024-0005.html . dead . 2 January 2013 . CONMEBOL.com . 24 October 2012 .
  9. Web site: México y Japón serán las invitadas a la Copa América 2015. sdpnoticias.com. 13 February 2014. 3 March 2014. 3 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233354/http://www.sdpnoticias.com/deportes/2014/02/13/mexico-y-japon-seran-las-invitadas-a-la-copa-america-2015. dead.
  10. Web site: China to enter 2015 Copa America in Chile . wildeastfootball.net . 2 March 2014.
  11. Web site: China accept 2015 Copa America invitation. tribalfootball.com. 3 March 2014.
  12. Web site: 遗憾!赛程撞车,足协忍痛放弃美洲杯. Hupu.com. 16 April 2014. 17 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140418220425/http://bbs.hupu.com/9309749.html. 18 April 2014. dead.
  13. Web site: 足协正式拒绝美洲杯:冲世界杯 紧. Hupu.com. 19 April 2014. 19 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140420001852/http://bbs.hupu.com/9330694.html. 20 April 2014. dead.
  14. Web site: Jamaica to tackle Copa America. rjrnewsonline. 24 May 2014. 24 May 2014.
  15. Web site: Sorteo de la Copa América 2015 se realizará en octubre en Viña del Mar. 2015 Copa América draw will be in October in Viña del Mar. biobiochile.cl. 19 February 2014. es.
  16. Web site: Copa América Chile 2015: la ceremonia del sorteo se realizará el 24 de noviembre. Copa América Chile 2014: drawing ceremony will be on 24 November. CONMEBOL.com. 26 August 2014. es.
  17. Web site: Argentina paired with Uruguay in Copa América draw as Brazil face Colombia. Copa América 2015. 24 November 2014. 26 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141128060717/http://www.ca2015.com/en/news/argentina-paired-with-uruguay-in-copa-america-draw-as-brazil-face-colombia/gyziu0b5fgi51ebqrfhmdd95q. 28 November 2014. dead.
  18. Web site: La Copa América Chile 2015 tiene a sus cabezas de serie: la anfitriona, Argentina y Brasil. The 2015 Copa América has its top seeds: the hosts, Argentina and Brazil. CONMEBOL.com. 10 November 2014. es.
  19. Web site: Viña del Mar hosts draw for 2015 Copa América. Copa América Chile 2015. 11 November 2014. 12 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141112163152/http://www.ca2015.com/en/news/vina-del-mar-hosts-draw-for-2015-copa-america/ts4n1q29jihj19d1lazzcaib6. 12 November 2014. dead.
  20. News: FIFA World Rankings: Updated Standings After Latest International Fixtures . Akerman . Nick . Bleacher Report . 23 October 2014 . 20 February 2016.
  21. Web site: Conmebol fijó los grupos de los cabezas de serie para la Copa. CONMEBOL assigns groups to the top seeds for the Copa. CONMEBOL.com. 23 November 2014. es.
  22. Web site: Reglamento Copa América – Chile 2015. CONMEBOL.com.
  23. Web site: Pérez Serrano. Ángel. La Copa América, pesadilla del Barça este año. The Copa América, Barças nightmare this year. mundodeportivo.com. 11 February 2015. es. 28 July 2014.
  24. Web site: ARTURO VIDAL TUVO UN RETRASO EN SU VUELO Y LLEGA ESTE MARTES A CHILE . 6 November 2015 . 18 January 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160118170720/http://www.ahoranoticias.cl/deportes/futbol-internacional/143199-arturo-vidal-tuvo-un-retraso-en-su-vuelo-y-llega-este-martes-a-chile.html . dead .
  25. Web site: Paullier. Juan. ¿Por qué México no manda a sus estrellas a la Copa América Chile 2015?. Why isn't Mexico sending its stars to the 2015 Copa América in Chile?. BBC. 4 July 2015. es.
  26. Web site: FIFA statement on CAS decision relating to Luis Suarez. https://web.archive.org/web/20140815083551/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2014/m=8/news=fifa-statement-on-cas-decision-relating-to-luis-suarez-2421360.html. dead. 15 August 2014. FIFA. 14 August 2014.
  27. News: The 39 referees of the Copa América – Chile 2015. 24 May 2015. CONMEBOL. 23 May 2015. 25 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180725110754/http://www.conmebol.com/en/05232015-1147/39-referees-copa-america-chile-2015. dead.
  28. Web site: Copa América fixture list announced for Chile 2015 . Ca2015.com.com . 11 November 2014 . 16 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141115010045/http://www.ca2015.com/en/news/copa-america-fixture-list-announced-for-chile-2015/1sarfkwp5j1581vuftt9dljfpk . 15 November 2014 . dead .
  29. Web site: Programa oficial del acontecimiento que cada vez está más cerca... La Copa América Chile 2015. CONMEBOL.com. 25 April 2015. 25 April 2015. 30 June 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150630153718/http://www.conmebol.com/es/24042015-1620/fixture-copa-america-chile-2015. dead.
  30. http://www.espnfc.com/copa-america/83/statistics/assists Copa América statistics: assists
  31. Web site: Copa América 2015 awards – check out the winners! . Copa América 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150629134626/http://www.ca2015.com/en/awards . 29 June 2015 .
  32. Web site: BeIN Sports: Messi habría rechazado el MVP del torneo. BeIN Sports: Messi reportedly rejects MVP award for tournament. AS.com. es. 5 July 2015. 5 July 2015.
  33. Web site: Lionel Messi allegedly refuses best player award at Copa America as trophy removed from ceremony. The Daily Telegraph. 5 December 2015.
  34. Web site: Messi rechazó recoger el premio a MVP de la Copa América. Marca. Spain. 5 December 2015. es.
  35. Web site: Messi rechazó el MVP del Argentina-Paraguay de la Copa América. Sport. 5 December 2015.
  36. Web site: Copa América 2015 – Team of the tournament . 5 July 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150707200522/http://www.ca2015.com/en/gallery/copa-america-2015---team-of-the-tournament/1nqqmzngdosa911z9l2g8k8317/slide/13 . 7 July 2015 .
  37. Web site: Home . dead . Copa América Chile 2015 . 22 April 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160422074724/http://www.ca2015.com/en . 22 April 2016 .
  38. Web site: Nike Cachana – Copa America 2015 Ball Revealed. Footballwood. 14 March 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150316185922/http://www.footballwood.com/nike-cachana-copa-america-2015-ball-revealed.html. 16 March 2015. dead.
  39. Web site: Official mascot for the 2015 Copa América revealed – now help choose a name!. Copa América Chile 2015. 17 November 2014. 18 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141120100120/http://www.ca2015.com/en/news/official-mascot-for-the-2015-copa-america-revealed-now-help/tagim0vgfuxd1biakwp495hfb. 20 November 2014. dead.
  40. Web site: Zincha – 2015 Copa América mascot now has a name #BienvenidoZincha. Copa América Chile 2015. 28 November 2014. 28 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141204222253/http://www.ca2015.com/en/news/zincha---the-mascot-for-the-2015-copa-america-now-has-a-name/15gjn4wkgdu4v1jmyye30eyx6i. 4 December 2014. dead.
  41. Web site: Al Sur Del Mundo – The Official Theme Song of Copa America 2015. Copaamerica.Footballwood. 19 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150520223729/http://copaamerica.footballwood.com/al-sur-del-mundo-the-official-theme-song-of-copa-america-2015.html. 20 May 2015. dead.
  42. Web site: Arturo Vidal se ve involucrado en un choque durante su tarde libre . Spanish . 24horas.cl . 16 June 2015 . 23 July 2021 .
  43. Web site: Vidal queda detenido por conducir bajo la influencia del alcohol . Spanish . 24horas.cl . 17 June 2015 . 23 July 2021 .
  44. Web site: Arturo Vidal es formalizado en Juzgado de San Bernardo . Spanish . alairelibre . 17 June 2015 . 23 July 2021 .
  45. Web site: Sampaoli mantiene a Vidal en la Roja: "Lo que necesitamos es incluirlo" . Spanish . 24horas.cl . 17 June 2015 . 23 July 2021 .
  46. News: Copa America: FT: Brazil 0–1 Colombia. 17 June 2015. BBC.
  47. News: Neymar suspended for remainder of Copa America tournament. 19 June 2015. ESPN. 19 June 2015.
  48. News: Macguire. Eoghan. Copa America 2015: Neymar banned for remainder of tournament. 23 July 2015. CNN. 21 June 2015.
  49. News: Grez. Matias. Copa America 2015: Gonzalo Jara's poke in backside earns him ban. 23 July 2015. CNN. 30 June 2015.
  50. News: Angry Mainz to offload Gonzalo Jara for prodding Edinson Cavani's bottom. 23 July 2015. The Guardian. Reuters. 26 June 2015.
  51. http://www.mainz05.de/mainz05/en/aktuell/news/news-detail/article/gonzalo-jara-verlaesst-mainz-05.html Gonzalo Jara leaves Mainz 05