Brazil’s 2-0 defeat by Mexico was by no means the first shock for fans at the Copa America.

It is hard to imagine a World Cup or European Championship semi-final venue being changed at a fortnight’s notice, yet when the South American Football Confederation (CSF) switched the Copa America semi-final from Caracas to Maracaibo on Monday, two weeks before it is due to be played, nobody batted an eye-lid.

The CSF appear to pride themselves on being masters of improvisation. In 1997, when the competition was held in Bolivia, there was a fantastic rule that the final would be played in La Paz at 3,600 metres above sea level if Bolivia qualified and at low-lying Santa Cruz if they did not.

In 2001, the tournament, due to be held in Colombia, was postponed and relocated because of security fears. Then, under pressure from sponsors and the Colombian government, it went ahead as scheduled at eight days’ notice. Argentina, who had already told their players to go on holiday, pulled out and Honduras took their place.

In the light of this, a mere semi-final venue switch, officially for security reasons, raises few eyebrows. But where do the supporters fit into the middle of all this?

The CSF does not appear to be overly concerned about this minor detail. The local organising committee have very kindly told supporters that they’re tickets will be valid at the new venue, although they would have to travel 750 kilometres to a city where the limited number of hotel rooms have been been booked for months.

It is no wonder that the organisers failed to fill the stadium for Tuesday’s opening game between Peru and Uruguay.

Brian Homewood is covering the Copa America in Venezuela