Colombian Coach: Fail to Understand Why Team’s Tardiness Leads to Coach Suspension; Adjusting Half-time for Shakira’s Performance is Inappropriate

The Colombian team will face Argentina in the Copa America final. Before the match, Colombian coach Lorenzo criticized CONMEBOL’s decision to extend half-time to 25 minutes to accommodate a performance by Shakira, fearing it could affect the players’ competitive condition.

CONMEBOL recently announced that the half-time of this year’s Copa America final would be extended from the traditional 15 minutes to 25 minutes to provide enough time for Shakira’s half-time show. Lorenzo questioned this decision at the pre-final press conference, confused about how unrelated matters were affecting the rhythm of the final. He said, “I hope everyone enjoys the show, Shakira is great. But for a final, if rule changes impact both teams equally, such as using poor fields or facing the same weather conditions, we can’t say whether the impact is good or bad.”

Regarding CONMEBOL’s inconsistent rulings, Lorenzo seemed to have something to say. During the group stage, coaches Scaloni of Argentina, Gareca of Chile, Bielsa of Uruguay, and Batista of Venezuela were suspended for one match due to their teams’ tardiness. Additionally, each country’s football association was fined $15,000. Lorenzo appeared to hold a grudge about this, saying, “I don’t understand this decision. I hope it can be like other games (strictly enforcing a 15-minute half-time). When our coaches and players came out in the 16th minute, we were penalized. Now because there’s a show, we can wait until the 20th minute to come out, which might cause both teams’ players to catch a cold. I only found out about this today, but I have nothing to say, so be it.”