The Copa America

The World Cup is football’s prestige tournament, but the prestige of the oldest active football tournament in the world is mantled to the Copa America, first hosted by Argentina in 1916, Uruguay being the victors. The Copa was established fourteen years before the World Cup, forty two years before the AFC Asian Cup, and forty six years before the inception of the European Championships.

The tournament began with just three competing countries in a double round robin group of three. Sixteen national sides now compete, which became prominent during the 1990’s. the quirk of the Copa’s is the invitations laid out to non-members of the South American sphere, of note being Japan, Mexico, Haiti, Qatar and Honduras, none of the invited countries have lifted the trophy. Eight of the ten South American countries have won the Copa America with Ecuador and Venezuela the two exceptions. Another of the Copa America’s strange concepts was the hosting of the tournament in the USA twice in 2016 and 2024, with the Copa’s to return to the South Americas in 2028 and Paraguay. In total on four occasions, countries outside of the South Americas have hosted. The United States for their part invested north of 90 million dollars into the American soccer on hosting rights. The tournament can have volatile disturbances which is marked down from this sphere of the world, but the tournament plays an important part in their football tribalism, which continues to be the World’s oldest football tournament, the ‘Copa Americas’.

Lensed Parochial Vision

It’s become apparent that the England Under 21’s manager position leads to the senior England manager’s role with the current incumbent Lee Carsley following in the boot straps of the departed Gareth Southgate, with many critics viewing Southgate’s tenure as a car crash at the final chequered with Carsley looking to steer England into the futuristic look on a permanent basis, another car crash on the horizon? Should an elite manager be strapped in, Guardiola, Klopp, Tuchel into the equation, England are blessed with elite players, surely an elite manager has to be the steering to the trophy cabinet, Chrisley is now in pole position, should that be the case? Carsley is not a Klopp, not a Guardiola, never will be, the under 21’s a valued route to become the England manager? Again, should that be the case? We know how Klopp and Guardiola would react in making match defining decisions, they will deliver, that’s what elite managers do, they deliver, the end gravy is to lift the trophies, that’s what they do, the Football Association must chase the best, the elite, England need to deliver, the public demand it, to state the case for Lee Carsley has little value v the elite managers.

The truth to be spoken but not to diminish Carsley’s coaching credentials, they can still remain intact, but the level of the elite is not Carsley’s level, there is not the required value in the under 21’s role to be considered for the senior position, that is a fact no more car crashes, failure is not real and should not be real, we are England.

Carsley has been fitted into the under 21’s role for three years guiding the young Lions to the European Champions trophy in 2023 which will rank in the annals to become of a high rated value, enough to land the England position? Carsley’s CV is of a chequered flag, mixed. A good start to Carsley’s campaign came with wins two to nil on both occasions v republic of Ireland and Finland, positive results v weak opposition is no proof in the pudding, the pudding could come later with the appointment of Carsley on a full-time basis. A proper audition would be to face the football world’s big guns, that will not happen and for the FA to take the easy route and appoint Carsley would be their comfort zone, limited attitudes to limit the scope. The parochial vision of the Football Association to prevail?

Late News

Thomas Tuchel is the new England manager, job done.

To feature in December’s Manero

Into flashback mode Manero revisits the Daniel Dubai v Anthony Joshus IBF heavyweight clash and Manero covers the Football Association’s ‘parochial vision’. (At the time of writing)

New video out first week November

‘There’s always another sporting chance, tomorrow never dies’.

Gremlins in the System

The Chester Manero brand apologises to its readers for a 3 day loss of the website on the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th of October, Mr Gremlin hardware problem caused the temporary closure.