NEW YORK: CONCACAF has suggested that its South American neighbour jumped the gun in stating that a special edition of the Copa America would be staged in the United States in 2016.

The South American confederation, CONMEBOL, wants the event to go ahead mark its centenary and considers that it will be financially advantageous to hold the tournament in the US with the support of Mexican television – Mexico being invited to compete.

However Enrique Sanz, general secretary of the Central and North American confederation, has said that negotiations have not been concluded.

He said: “Even though playing the 2016 Copa America in the CONCACAF region with our teams and those from CONMEBOL would be a wonderful experience for all fans, we are still in the midst of talks and negotiations between all parties involved in this decision.

“This is an idea we are hoping to materialize but we are still evaluating and discussing before it becomes official but the intention is definitely there.”

In Sao Paulo, in July, CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb discussed with members of the CONMEBOL executive committee the potential for collaboration. Subjects included the staging of a centenary Copa America in 2016 with CONCACAF’s partnership and participation.

Collaboration may be short on the ground over future World Cup hostings. Argentina and Uruguay want to host the 2030 finals – 100 years from the inaugural World Cup in Uruguay – but Mexico has also expressed an interest in bidding.

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