COPA AMERICA CENTENARIO TO BE FIRST AROUND THE WORLD TO IMPLEMENT NEW REGULATIONS BASED ON 2016/2017 LAWS OF THE GAME

Copa America Centenario LOC Announces It Will Apply Several New Regulations for Tournament to Kick Off Tonight

CHICAGO (June 3, 2016) – The Copa America Centenario Local Organizing Committee announced today the inclusion of several new regulations based on the 2016/17 Laws of the Game from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the governing body responsible for setting the rules of the sport. The historic Copa America Centenario kicks off tonight at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, featuring United States vs. Colombia, which will be the first match around the world to implement several of the new regulations.

The tournament, celebrating its 100-year anniversary, will be steeped in tradition, history, and fanfare. However, the sport has gone through several changes throughout history, and this edition of the tournament is no different, as the IFAB has revised and implemented several new provisions into the official Tournament Regulations for the Copa America Centenario.

Implemented for the Copa America Centenario is a regulation regarding yellow card accumulation. If a player receives two yellow cards in two games during the group stages and Quarterfinal, they will be suspended for the following game (Semifinal). However, once the Quarterfinals are completed, card accumulations are reset for the Semifinal and Final.

The Copa America is also different from many other major international soccer tournaments with the regulations in regards to extra time. During the group stages, Quarterfinals and Semifinals, if both teams are tied at the end of the regulation time, the winner of the match will be decided by penalty kicks, without first giving an additional period of time. Only during the final match of the tournament will the traditional two additional periods of 15 minutes each be played. If scores are still level after that, the champion will be decided by penalties.

Additionally, the tournament’s Executive Committee approved and received written approval from FIFA to allow for a fourth substitution should the Final enter extra time.

The tournament, which includes half of the world’s Top 10 nations per the June FIFA Rankings, begins tonight when the U.S. hosts Colombia at Levi’s Stadium at 9:30 p.m. ET, live on FS1, Univision, UniMas and Univision Deportes Network. The inaugural match, nearing capacity crowd, will be preceded by an opening ceremony, including J Balvin, Jason Derulo and MAGIC!. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to catch the high-energy performance which begins 30 minutes prior to kickoff. Buy your tickets now at www.ca2016.com

Copa America Centenario tournament schedule
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Copa America Centenario will be televised in more than 160 countries across the world, with the Univision and FOX family of networks broadcasting all of the games live in the United States. In addition, all of the matches will also be available live on Futbol de Primera Radio in the United States.

Copa America Centenario will feature some of the world’s best teams and players from North, South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Mexico’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Colombia’s James Rodriguez, the United States’ Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey, along with many other world-class stars are scheduled to participate in the tournament.