ASUNCION: Carlos Cordeiro’s odd attempt to bypass his own regional confederation by corralling South American nations for a tournament in the United States has collapsed writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

Cordeiro, president of the United States Soccer Federation which will cohost the 2026 World Cup, had sent CONMEBOL a proposal for a rerun of the 2016 Copa America Centenario – presumably with the US as guest competitors.

South America’s centenary attempt was staged in the US with great success but was considered a one-off at the time. Cordeiro had envisaged a repeat which might even upstage the Gold Cup staged every two years by ‘his own’ central and north American confederation.

He had proposed a $4m fee for all competing nations, $225,000 for each point gained and a $5m winners’ prize.

CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez has politely declined to take up an idea which would cut across the international calendar and which would anger UEFA by overlapping into the same June time slot as the finals of both the European Championship and the Copa America.

Dominguez also pointed out that CONCACAF had rejected a similar reverse proposal from CONMEBOL earlier this year.

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