Arturo Vidal and Neymar subplots in a Copa América rich with stories | Jonathan Wilso

[Jonathan Wilson]

Chile’s moral dilemma over their errant midfielder is just one strand of an extraordinary start to the tournamentThere is nothing quite so effective at removing stains of ignominy as victory. Chile’s game against Bolivia began with Arturo Vidal’s name being cheered by the 45,000 fans at the Estádio Nacional on Friday, a clear message of support after he was charged with drink-driving. It ended with Chile having won 5-0 after a display of exhilarating football and, to the local media at least, questions about whether Vidal should have been allowed to play on fading before the thought that this Chile squad is probably better equipped than any other in the country’s history to win the Copa América. A wait that began in the very first continental tournament in 1916 may be about to come to an end.
Yet the expediency of Chile’s football federation, the coach Jorge Sampaoli and even Alexis Sánchez, who defended Vidal before Friday’s game, has provoked consternation. The former national team striker turned politician Leonardo Véliz, for instance, articulated what many Chileans are saying. “We are getting used to people committing wrong in all fields, above all in politics and football,” he said. “In the end they try to justify it by giving excuses as if nothing has happened.”
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