South American soccer’s governing body CONMEBOL announced on Friday that it has adjusted pre-match procedures at the Copa América Femenina in Ecuador to allow players to warm up on the pitch, following criticism from Brazilian players and coaching staff.
“From now on, in addition to goalkeepers who already had a 15-minute warm-up period on the field, outfield players will also be allowed to warm up on the pitch for the same duration,” CONMEBOL told Reuters.
“This decision was made after a detailed assessment of the condition of the playing surfaces at the competition’s stadiums to date, and after taking into account feedback from some participating teams.”
Tournament organisers had barred outfield players from warming up on the pitch to preserve the playing surface, with each stadium hosting two matches in a day during the group stage.
Brazil captain Marta, midfielder Ary Borges, and head coach Arthur Elias voiced their frustration after their dominant group-stage win over Bolivia, as both teams had been forced to warm-up in a shared room of about 15 square meters that smelled of paint.
“It’s been a long time since I played in a tournament here in South America, and we were saddened by these circumstances,” Marta told Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte.
“Athletes are expected to perform well and work hard, but we also have to demand a high level of organisation.”
They also criticised the restrictions after their tournament opener against Venezuela, saying they were unable to properly assess Kerolin‘s fitness, which ultimately led to the Manchester City striker being sidelined.
Defending champions Brazil top Group B with two wins and will face Paraguay on Tuesday.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
