Draw of Copa America Argentina 2011 on Thursday, November 11, in La Plata

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• A great expectation and illustrious presences in the country that saw the birth of the Cup
  By Eduardo Barraza
  
  The majestic palace of the Teatro Argentino in La Plata, football will become the football epicenter of the region and of much of the planet on Thursday, November 11, when takes place the draw and the presentation of Copa America 2011 to be held between 2nd and July 24th of next year. The event,which will include a concert and an artistic presentation of the host country and host cities will begin at 17 hours, Argentina time.
  The 43rd edition of the world's oldest continental tournament returns to where it was created and first played in 1916. This time will be attended by the ten South American teams and the guests Japan and Mexico. The hierarchy of teams participating in the tournament gives a very high expectation, since seven of the 12 participants were protagonists of the final stages of the World Cup in South Africa, and will participate in the draw with its top stars.
  
  The conduct of the draw will be headed jointly by Nicolás Leoz, president of the South American Football Confederation, and by Julio Grondona, president of the Argentine Football Association and senior vice president of FIFA. Also, attend the ceremony the presidents of national associations of the other nine South American countries, authorities and invited members of the Executive Committee of CONMEBOL. Representing the Government of Argentina is expected the presence of the Nation’s Office Boss, Aníbal Fernández, the Sports Secretary, Claudio Morresi and Governor of the Buenos Aires Province, Daniel Scioli.
  
  Besides these authorities, most coaches of national teams participating in the Cup should appear at the event. There are 500 accredited journalists.
  
  The general secretary of CONMEBOL, Eduardo Deluca, will be the master of ceremonies at the time of the draw itself, besides being responsible for presenting a report of the competition format and other technical issues and regulations.
  
  In other hand, the renowned former player Juan Ramon Veron, "La Bruja", champion of the Copa Libertadores (1968/69/70) and Intercontinental (1968) for Estudiantes de La Plata, will be honored by the Conmebol with the Order of Merit Honor of South American football for his extraordinary career. Juan Ramon is the father of Juan Sebastian Veron, the current player of the "pincha" club and one of the greatest exponents of South American football.
  
  Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay will be key heads
  
  Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay will be seeded in groups A, B and C, respectively, as determined by the Executive Committee of CONMEBOL, defined in its meeting on 18 October this year. Moreover, Paraguay, Chile and Colombia will be part of the second pot, while Venezuela, Bolivia and Peru will be the third pot. The invited Japan, Mexico and Ecuador, will join the fourth pot. 
  
  As had been previously informed, the Copa America will be divided geographically into four zones consisting in two cities each. The headquarters are Buenos Aires and La Plata (capital); Cordoba and Santa Fe (central); Mendoza and San Juan (Cuyo) and Jujuy and Salta (Northwest).
  
  The stadium Ciudad de La Plata, first covered stadium from South America, is the main venue of the tournament. While the stadium "Monumental" Antonio Liberti, in Buenos Aires, will stage the final match. Remember that five out of eight hosts - La Plata, Jujuy, Mendoza, Salta and Santa Fe - never before had received a round of Copa America, even though is the ninth Copa America hosted by Argentina.
  
  The organization already pre established that Chile will play their match in the Cuyan cities of Mendoza and San Juan, near to the Andes Cordillera, and that Paraguay will play in Central Region, in Cordoba and Santa Fe. The idea, expressed by José Luis Meiszner, Local Organizing Committee chairman, is to ensure that countries to play their matches as close to their borders.
  
  A regulation change: back to extra time
  
  One of the major changes in this edition of the Copa America in Argentina compared to previous editions is that, from the quarter-finals of the competition, there will be an extra time of 30 minutes in case of ties. Persisting the result, the dispute goes to the decision of penalty shootout. The last time that a confrontation was set in an extra time was in 1987, when the competition was also held in Argentina. In that occasion, Chile beat Colombia by 2-1 in the semifinal.
  
  The Copa America tournament, which began to be played in 1916, has had 42 editions, the last one being played in Venezuela in 2007. Seven teams have won the tournament: Argentina and Uruguay (14 times), Brazil (8), Paraguay and Peru (2), Bolivia and Colombia (1).
  
  This Thursday, November 11, three years and 89 days after the final whistle in Venezuela in 2007, the America's Cup to be played back to thrill millions of fans from all corners of the world.
• Copa America 2011

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