It is a new Copa Libertadores with a fresh calendar -- and some of the same old problems. The match between Guarani of Paraguay and Argentina's River Plate suffered an 11-minute hold up because of an old fashioned floodlight failure -- not an uncommon event at Asuncion's Defensores del Chaco Stadium.

This was always a game likely to generate more heat than light, though, for two reasons.

One was the fact that two River Plate players tested positive in post-match drug tests towards the end of the...

Time to change the chip and flip the switch. Quality international football soon returns to South America; the most competitive World Cup qualifying campaign on the planet gets underway in October. But with the 2015 Copa America now part of history, the time has come to refocus on the club game and the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores, which start Tuesday.

Action shut down after the quarterfinal stage at the end of May. This year's fairy-tale club might regret that seven-week pause.

Guarani...

As the FIFA scandal rolls on, the mind-boggling sums alleged to have changed hands in bribes might be seen as a perverse tribute to the power of the game. The heart of the matter appears to lie in the transaction of TV rights and marketing. If companies can afford to pay out on the level stated and still make a profit, it is surely an indication that the product has a huge appeal.

Last Thursday night gave a hint as to why that might be the case. The final place was being filled in the semifinals...

South America's top teams went into the group phase of the Copa Libertadores some three months ago and come Thursday night, only eight of them will be left standing. This is the week when the competition defines its quarterfinalists.

One team is already there. Tigres of Mexico have played both legs of their tie against Universitario Sucre of Bolivia and came through 3-2 on aggregate.

The Bolivians put up stiffer resistance than expected but the favourites came through. The same thing may not happen...