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Sunday evening, Mexico vs. Uruguay was about to kick off. The Arizona sun was gently lowering in the sky while the Uruguay National Anthem and the Mexico National Anthem were played and everyone sang and was focused on the moment, which was a moment great games are built upon.
They were focused, at least, until the Uruguay anthem was played. Because it wasn't the Uruguay National Anthem. It was the Chile National Anthem.
For those of you unacquanted with South American geography, Uruguay and Chile are not the same country, and as such do not share a national anthem. There is evidence to support this, as we shall see.
Here is the Uruguay National Anthem:
For comparison's sake, here is the Chile National Anthem:
As the musically-inclined may be able to gather, these are not the same song.
This, in short, was a screw-up of epic proportions, the sort of thing you don't expect from massive productions like the Copa America Centenario.
Later Sunday evening the Copa America released a statement:
This evening during the pre-match ceremony, due to human error, we inadvertently played the incorrect National Anthem. We sincerely apologize to the Uruguayan Federation, the Uruguay National Team, the people of Uruguay and to the fans for this mistake. We will work with all parties involved to ensure such an error does not occur again.
This statement gives us the feeling of "too little, too late," because any Uruguay fans watching, either from the stands or on TV, were likely both exasperated and pissed off, and rightfully so. Hearing your country's national anthem is a guaranteed way to get hyped for an international match because of the nationalistic feelings of loyalty the anthem produces. When someone plays the wrong anthem, it's as big an insult as there is to one's country.
Really, Copa America folks, you had one job.
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
