Copa America competitors want venue changed

Nine competing nations at next month's Copa Amwerica have asked for Colombia to be dumped as its venue and moved to either Brazil or Uruguay..

The request to tournament organizers was made by presidents of the soccer confederations of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. It comes after yesterday's announcement that the tournament was suspended after the kidnapping of Colombian federation vice-president Hernan Mejia Campuzano

The Copa may be cancelled when FIFA said today it would not force the event to take place.

"It is their competition. It is entirely up to them," FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper said from the governing body's headquarters in Switzerland.

"We feel sorry they are in this position. It is not for us to say."

South American Football Confederation (CSF) president Nicolas Leoz said the organisation would make a final decision by Friday on the future of this year's tournament which has seen major stars pull out and death threats made to the Argentina squad already.

"The decision which has been notified to the Colombian Federation by the South American Football Confederation is that Copa America has been suspended until Hernan Mejia is released," a spokesman for the federation said.

Campuzano was seized by armed men at a makeshift road block two days ago but no ransom demand has yet been received.