CONMEBOL announced on Friday that it has decided to allow the reserve players to warm up on the pitch, following criticism from Brazilian players and coaching staff at the ongoing Women’s Copa America in Ecuador.
“From now on, in addition to goalkeepers who already had a 15-minute warm-up period on the field, outfield players will also be allowed to warm up on the pitch for the same duration,” the South American football governing body told Reuters.
“This decision was made after a detailed assessment of the condition of the playing surfaces at the competition’s stadiums to date, and after taking into account feedback from some participating teams.”
Tournament organizers had restricted outfield players from warming up on the pitch to preserve the playing surface, as each stadium hosted two matches a day during the group stage.
Brazil captain Marta, midfielder Ary Borges, and head coach Arthur Elias expressed their frustration after their dominant group-stage win over Bolivia, as both teams had been forced to warm up in a shared room of about 15 square meters that smelled of paint.
They also criticized the restrictions after their tournament-opener against Venezuela, saying they were unable to properly assess Kerolin’s fitness, which ultimately led to the Manchester City striker being sidelined.
Defending champion Brazil tops Group B with two wins and will face Paraguay on Tuesday.
