Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has issued a powerful message ahead of Copa America, which is now to be held in Brazil.
The international tournament was slated to be hosted by Argentina and Colombia, but political and pandemic-related issues forced a change in circumstances.
MORE: Jurgen Klopp ramps up interest in £63m Barcelona starlet, claims Spanish media
Brazil has its own problems and there have been calls for this year’s Copa America to be suspended, but Alisson has hit social media to confirm the Canarinho players will indeed take part in this year’s competition.
Taking to Twitter, the Liverpool star dropped a heartfelt statement, which he kicked-off with: ‘When a Brazilian is born, a fan is born…‘
Alisson’s message – in full – can be read below, via the Liverpool Echo.
“And for more than 200 million fans we write this letter to express our opinion about the Copa America outcome.
“We are a cohesive group, but with different ideas. For many reasons, humanitarian or professional, we are not satisfied with the conduct shown by CONMEBOL relating to Copa America.
“All recent facts lead us to believe there has been an inadequate process. It is important to emphasise that at no time did we want to make this a political discussion.
“We are aware of the importance of our position – we follow what is published by the media, we are present on social media.”
“We also try to avoid false news bearing our names being circulated without the facts,” Alisson continued.
“Finally, we remember that we are workers, soccer professionals. We have a mission to achieve wearing the historic yellow and green jersey of the five-time world champions.
“We are against the organisation of Copa America, but we will never say no to the Brazilian national team.”