On July 29, 2001, the final of the Copa America was played at the El Campin Stadium in Bogotá. The hosts, Colombia, were on the field, while Mexico faced them. The Cafeteros reach the final act winning all the matches, with zero goals conceded while Victor Aristizabal is the top scorer of the tournament with six goals. Easy easy the group, Three to zero to Peru in the quarters, while in the semifinal against Honduras it ends 2-0.
It’s a mutilated edition of the Copa America. Because the country is in the midst of a civil waris torn by internal problems due to drug trafficking and armed struggle. Hosting a Copa America is therefore not a walk in the park, especially since Argentina decides to withdraw to avoid problems with the guerrillas. Instead, Brazil and Uruguay, in fact, participate with the reserves of the reserves. CONMEBOL, a few days before the start of the matches, calls a meeting to discuss what to do. Venezuela offers to host the competition, then it is decided to postpone it to the following year, but there are the World Cups in Korea and Japan. Vibrant protests for Canada and Argentina, then replaced by Costa Rica and Honduras. The future semifinalists were all on vacation and are recalled as best as possible.
No way, it’s played in Colombia. And Ivan Ramiro Cordoba decides the competition against the Mexicans. The Inter defender will then lift the Copa to the sky for the first time.