Copa America 2011: Peruvian Prisoners Hold Own Tournament

Copa America 2011 fever has literally been quarantined; a prison in Peru is staging its own version of the tournament.

Around 250 prisoners at the Castro-Castro penitentiary outside of Lima will participate in their own month-long version of the 2011 Copa America, the South and Central American soccer tournament that started on July 1.

The teams, clad in the uniforms of teams like Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, and of course Peru, are playing a series of games on the concrete prison yard. The event was opened with a scaled-down ceremony complete with face paint and confetti.

Peru's jail authority says the games will help prisoners adjust to life after release.

The Copa America is called the most important football event in Latin America. A women's prison in Peru held a similar tournament for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Ironically, members of the real Mexican national team were kicked out of the Copa America for their illegal acts. Eight players were forced to sit out the tournament after they were found bringing prostitutes into their hotel rooms while training in Ecuador.