Review: Argentina wins controversial Copa America 2024

euronews (in English)

Argentina have continued their continental dominance, winning back-to-back Copa America championships in a tournament with as much drama on the pitch as off it.

Transcript

00:00History has been made in South America, as Argentina are crowned Copa America champions for the 16th time.

00:07But they weren't the only remarkable moments to emerge from an intriguing tournament.

00:11There were tears, records broken and violence on and off the pitch.

00:15Let's take a look back at the highs and lows of what was an exciting competition.

00:24Hello and welcome to Football Now.

00:27Next up on the list of major international football tournaments this summer is our review of the 2024 Copa America.

00:35Argentina made history by winning the competition for a record 16th time.

00:40But the significance of their victory doesn't end there.

00:43They become the first ever South American team to win three major trophies in a row,

00:48thanks in part to their FIFA World Cup triumph here in Qatar back in 2022.

00:54Let's take a look at what was an incredible addition of the Copa America.

01:25It was Lionel Scaloni's side who kicked off the tournament in the USA.

01:29They beat Canada in the curtain raise in Atlanta and went on to win Group A with three wins out of three.

01:35The big shock of the group stage was the early exit of the United States in Group C.

01:40It was a huge disappointment for the hosts, but for their neighbours,

01:43it was a big step forward for the team.

01:47The big shock of the group stage was the early exit of the United States in Group C.

01:51It was a huge disappointment for the hosts, but for their neighbours,

01:54Canada, 2024 was a huge success.

01:57Under new coach Jesse Marsh, formerly of Leeds United and Red Bull Salzburg,

02:01a semi-final appearance was a great result.

02:04How can Leroux build on this ahead of co-hosting the World Cup in 2026?

02:09Play for play and pound for pound in terms of tenacity.

02:13Canadians showed up in a way they hadn't seen before to say we're world class.

02:17And in Canadian vernacular, we can hang here.

02:20In terms of what needs to happen, I think the more international exposure for this team is really, really important.

02:24They really need to have a slew of international friendlies, not just in qualifying times,

02:29but really building up regularly.

02:31And it's something, I don't know if it will be feasible or tenable for the federation to do this,

02:35but it's something that I know Marsh has on his, like, in his mind.

02:38Brazil suffered disappointment, finishing second in Group D behind Colombia,

02:43before losing on penalties to Uruguay in the quarter-final.

02:46This set Marco Bielsa's team up with a semi-final against Colombia,

02:50where Jefferson Lerma's goal booked them their place in the final.

02:54However, they came up against a true international superpower in Argentina.

02:58A tense final was won in extra time by striker Lautaro Martinez,

03:02but it was the team's defensive record that truly won them the tournament.

03:06They only conceded one goal in six matches,

03:09and lifted their second consecutive trophy at the final in Miami.

03:13Well, one question that will naturally be asked after this period of success for Argentina

03:19surrounds the future of Lionel Messi.

03:21The team captain was substituted off in the final after picking up an ankle injury,

03:26but still managed to cement his legacy as the most decorated player of all time,

03:31winning his 45th major honour.

03:34With that in mind, and the injuries now becoming more frequent,

03:37is it time for Messi to walk away from the game on a high note?

03:41Another international trophy for Messi, this could be the last dance.

03:45It seems like it won't be, it seems like he's going to continue on to the 2026 World Cup.

03:49Messi, of course, went off crying, injured, which was unfortunate, in the final.

03:52And then it feels like the team has such a great united bond.

03:55The players were like, oh, Messi's carried us so many times, we need to carry him,

03:59we need to bring him joy.

04:00Hopefully we still get to see that at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

04:04But his international legacy, just like his club legacy, is secured.

04:08Another trophy to add to the resume, and it's been incredible to watch.

04:12Well, it was an exciting end to the tournament, but it was also overshadowed by violence.

04:17Post-match celebrations were cut short after Colombia's semifinal win,

04:22with Uruguay players entering the stands and clashing with opposition supporters.

04:27Meanwhile, the final in Miami was delayed by 80 minutes,

04:31due to serious crowd control issues before the game.

04:34It's raised plenty of questions about how prepared the USA are

04:38to host World Cup games in just under two years' time.

04:41So, what needs to change before the tournament kicks off in 2026?

04:46I think that the problem was that there were a lot of people without tickets.

04:50I think that the first thing that failed in this organization were the filters.

04:55If you go to this match, or the final, or a soccer event, or any sports event,

05:00you have to have a filter previous to show that if you have a ticket or not.

05:05But obviously this is a lesson for the FIFA to organize it better.

05:10I think that the prizes, the tickets, also the filters, organization, security,

05:15will be factors that FIFA needs to look for in the different stadiums

05:20that are going to host the World Cup.

05:22To have everything secure, to have everything organized,

05:25because a lot of people are going to be there.

05:27And if you have the final in the mid-life in New York,

05:30you've got to be very organized to have more than 80,000 people there.

05:35Congratulations to Argentina for their historic win at the 2024 Copa America,

05:42their third major international trophy in three tournaments.

05:46Let us know your thoughts using the hashtag FootballNowCopaAmerica.

05:50That's all we've got time for from our studio here in Doha.

05:53We'll see you next time. Bye for now.

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