New doubts cloud Copa America in Brazil

New doubts gathered over the Copa America five days from kickoff on Tuesday, as Brazil's Supreme Court agreed to consider blocking the troubled tournament and the Brazilian national team's players said they were against holding it.

Organisers are battling the odds to pull off the South American football championships this year despite the coronavirus pandemic.

It has forced them into a last-minute search for an emergency host country that ended with the controversial choice of Brazil last week.

Brazil's Supreme Court said it would rule Thursday on two requests to block the 10-nation tournament, which is scheduled to open Sunday and run through 10 July.

Chief justice Luiz Fux said given the "exceptional nature of the case," he had decided to have the full 11-member court take up the matter in an extraordinary virtual session.

Hours later, the Brazilian national team's players said they were against holding the tournament, but put to rest rumors that they were planning a boycott.

"We are against organising the Copa America, but we will never say no to the Brazilian national team," the players said in a joint statement on social media.

Neymar and team -- as well as Brazil's coach, Tite -- were reportedly caught off guard by news the tournament would be held in Brazil.

The players were blunt in their criticism of South American football confederation CONMEBOL.

"We are dissatisfied with CONMEBOL's handling of the Copa America," they said.

"Recent events lead us to believe the process of organizing the tournament will be inadequate."

Already delayed by 12 months because of the pandemic, the Copa America -- the world's oldest running international football tournament -- was originally due to be hosted by Colombia and Argentina.

However, the former fell through because of violent anti-government protests, and the latter because of a surge of Covid-19.

With the clock ticking down to the opening match, Brazil stepped in last week as replacement hosts.

The pandemic has claimed more than 475,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the US. The tournament has become a divisive, politically loaded matter in the country.

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has regularly defied expert advice on containing the pandemic, gave his blessing to host it.

But epidemiologists have voiced alarm, as have Bolsonaro critics and some coaches and players from participating countries.