American network slammed over Copa America coverage

An American network has been ridiculed for its live coverage of a fiery match at the Copa America football tournament.

An American broadcaster showing a crucial Copa America match between the host nation and Uruguay has been heavily criticised over its coverage.

For most of the first half, the Fox Sports 1 broadcast used a camera that made most of the United States men’s national team and Uruguay players seem incredibly small.

And fans and viewers of the Copa America Group C game weren’t thrilled with how difficult it was to watch the pivotal clash that ended with the US team’s 1-0 loss, as the New York Post reports.

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In a match that also had a controversial moment between the US captain and a referee, Fox Sports producers attempted to fix the camera issue shortly after the match began, according to The Athletic.

But up until the 39th minute of the game, the network relied on an angle — reportedly from the world feed — that looked as if it was “from the space station”, former Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes wrote in a post on X.

“This is not a stadium for ants,” analyst Stuart Holden said on the broadcast. “This is a very high camera for the CONMEBOL world feed.”

The view fans were treated to for most of the first half. Photo: Twitter

A host of fans and pundits weighed in on the camera throughout a first half which featured plenty of injuries — including Uruguay star Maximiliano Araujo getting carried off the field on a stretcher — but ended scoreless.

“This USA vs Uruguay match camera angle might be the worst viewing pleasure I’ve ever experienced,” one user wrote on X. “Feels like we are watching from a blimp!”

“This camera angle in the Team USA game feels like I’m playing FIFA,” another user added.

“Is the USA Uruguay broadcast camera on the space station or something, what is Fox doing with this angle. It’s not like we haven’t shown a billion Chiefs games on national TV in this stadium,” a third user wrote, referencing the game being played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Mathias Olivera celebrates the only goal of the match. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Podcaster and reporter Joe Pompliano wrote: “Fox decided to broadcast tonight’s USA-Uruguay match from the moon.”

Australian football reporter Alex Conrad tweeted: “I don’t think I’ve ever got vertigo from watching a broadcast of a football match, but one of the dominant camera angles for USA v Uruguay in the Copa America is making me feel weirdly nauseous.”

Football games previously hosted at Arrowhead Stadium didn’t rely on that strange angle, according to The Athletic.

Once the broadcast switched the camera, that’s where it stayed — outside of the other close-up angles FS1 cut to — for the remainder of the match.

We’re not sure why they didn’t shake hands afterwards. (Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP)

Uruguay scored a goal in the 68th minute that was upheld — though still controversial — following a sequence that was close to being offside.

And while the USMNT had chances, including some in injury time, they couldn’t equalise.

That defeat, paired with a Panama victory, eliminated the hosts from the tournament.

After the match, US captain Christian Pulisic was refused a handshake from the match referee Kevin Ortega.

The moment generated a mixed response, with some accusing the referee of poor sportsmanship, while others felt it was justified as Pulisic had regularly been seen screaming in the official’s face during the broadcast.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission