With only two weeks to go until Copa America gets underway, the prospects of South America's showpiece tournament are growing more uncertain by the day.

Last week, Colombia were removed as co-hosts with Argentina after a wave of deadly protests linked to proposed tax reforms. The Colombian government asked the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) to postpone the event but the appeal was met with a flat refusal.

The oldest international tournament in the world, which is due to kick off on June 13 and last until July 10, has already been postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The governing body cannot afford a further delay. 

A replacement venue for Colombia has not been confirmed, and with all the complications concerning last-minute changes to the schedule, CONMEBOL's secretary general Gonzalo Belloso remained sanguine. "Despite the little time remaining, we are managing to stay calm and make a decision next week," he told Argentina's Radio Red.

The Argentine government revealed that they had received an offer from CONMEBOL to host all of the fixtures. A senior official in the Argentine government was quoted as saying by the local newspaper Ole that the country's public health ministry was studying the proposal.

However, Argentina is also in a tight spot as the country is grappling with its worst phase yet of the pandemic. It reported a record one-day number of new coronavirus cases of 41,080 on Thursday, amid a deadly wave of infections that has made the country one of the worst hit in the world.

The country has been under strict lockdown since last week, with schools, restaurants closed and travel banned. The slow rollout of its vaccination program obviously doesn't help matters. 

Argentina's Health Minister Carla Vizzotti has expressed concern about the risk caused by the public health crisis. "From my point of view, it would be better if [the Copa] were postponed a couple of months," he told Argentine news channel TN.

In response to increasing levels of anxiety across the continent, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez assured that Copa America would only start under the strictest protocols. But local polls show an increasing antipathy.

In a survey conducted by Poliarquia in Argentina this week, nearly 70 percent of respondents believed their country should withdraw from hosting Copa America, while only 20 percent said the tournament should go ahead as planned.

As a further blow to the showpiece tournament's drawing power, Colombian superstar James Rodriguez, who won the Golden Boot award for finishing as top scorer at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, will be absent because of injury.

"The coaching staff of the Colombian Senior Men's National Team informs that the player James Rodriguez has been recalled for the games against Peru and Argentina for the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and the CONMEBOL Copa America 2021," read a statement.

"In recent days, the midfielder underwent medical examinations, which determined that he is not at the optimal level of competition, so he will not be able to join the group of players called up by Reinaldo Rueda for the aforementioned matches and the South American championship," it added.

The 29-year-old Rodriguez holds 76 caps for Colombia and last played for the national team in 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Ecuador in November last year.