ASUNCION (Reuters) – Colombia forward Luis Diaz was named Revelation of the Copa America on Tuesday by tournament organisers the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).
The 24-year old Porto player scored two goals in the third-place playoff win over Peru and was the tournament’s joint top goalscorer along with Lionel Messi.
He also scored a spectacular scissor kick in Colombia’s 2-1 defeat to finalists Brazil and a goal in the semi-final against eventual winners Argentina.
CONMEBOL had already selected Messi and Neymar as joint players of the tournament before Saturday’s final in which Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 to end a 28-year trophy drought.
Diaz was the only Colombian in the team of the tournament, alongside four Argentines (Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Rodrigo De Paul, and Lionel Messi) and three Brazilians (Casemiro, Marquinhos and Neymar).
Ecuadorian left back Pervis Estupinan, Peruvian midfielder Yoshimar Yotun and Chilean right back Mauricio Isla completed the line up.
The federation also said it had recuperated 1.7 million dollars from a former official caught up in the FIFA corruption scandal. The money was claimed back from former secretary general, Argentine Eduardo Deluca, CONMEBOL said in a statement.
The money is in addition to the 55 million already won back from accounts in the names of other CONMEBOL officials.
The previous three permanent presidents of the federation were indicted in the FIFA scandal and banned by world soccer’s governing body from footballing activities.
(Reporting by Daniela Desantis in Asuncion; writing by Andrew Downie; Editing by Toby Davis)
