Today marks the beginning of the 42nd edition of the Copa América, the main international football tournament for South America. Latinos are buzzing with excitement, making long lunch plans and coming home late to watch the action. The event is organized by CONMEBOL, South America’s football governing body. For the first time in the tournament’s history Venezuela is hosting the games between June 26 and July 15, 2007. The opening game today is Uruguay vs. Peru followed by Venezuela vs. Bolivia in San Cristobal. Because the tournament is being held in Venezuela, the U.S. State Department felt the need to warn travelers.

The U.S. State Department advised people attending to be aware of security “concerns”, citing the organizers moving one of the semifinals from Caracas to Maracaibo because of fears of crowd trouble. The State Department also warned U.S. residents traveling to the soccer tournament that they could end up caught in violent street protests against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (note they only said against- because in the U.S.’s mind there are never any pro-Chavez rallies). The warning read:

U.S. citizens contemplating travel to Venezuela should carefully consider the risks to their safety and security. Violent crime, including … kidnappings, has increased in Venezuela, particularly in major cities and along the border with Colombia. In Caracas, violent crime has become an everyday occurrence. “The murder rate in Caracas is one of the highest in Latin America. Carjackings are frequent and often result in murder. Armed robberies occur in broad daylight throughout the city, including areas generally presumed safe and frequented by tourists. Americans planning to travel to Venezuela for Copa America should be aware of uncertainties in availability of tickets for the games, an issue which has sparked local protests.

I wonder if Latin American countries warn their residents of travel to the U.S.

Warning: Travel to the U.S. may expose Latin Americans to racism and poverty induced crime…

Via / Wikipedia y LA Daily News

Image Via / World Cup Blog