Colombian exporter René Higuita proposed naming the Copa América after Diego Armando Maradona in tribute to the football star, who died in Buenos Aires on November 25 last year. “We are ready to host the best South American teams.
The Copa América that Colombia and Argentina are going to do is coming, how rich. This (should be a) tribute to Diego Armando Maradona, Copa América Diego Armando Maradona, ”Higuita said on social media.
The Copa América, to be played in Argentina and Colombia in 2020, has been postponed until this year due to the coronavirus pandemic and will take place in both countries from June 13 to July 10. Higuita was a friend of Maradona and several times expressed his admiration as a player and as a person.
Maradona, who died when he was 60 years old, was friends with former Colombian footballers such as “Pibe” Valderrama, Mauricio Serna and Faustino Asprilla, among others. The Argentinian star also had a fondness for Colombian music and was in the country in friendly matches and was a patient of doctors treating him for his obesity and knee injuries.
On the Copa América, Argentina’s president Alberto Fernández said on Thursday that he was concerned that the games of that tournament and the Copa Libertadores could increase coronavirus cases and felt that sports federations should be extremely careful.
“I don’t want to frustrate the spectacle of the Copa América, I want us to be very sensible and very careful. We still have some time to see how things evolve and how we can deal with this problem,” said President Fernández.
EFE