THE 42ND Copa America begins in Venezuela on Tuesday and already it appears the focus of attention will fall on one flamboyant left winger.

The host nation are the only Latin American nation never to previously host the competition since its inception in 1916 (although they did provide the neutral venue for the 1975 final between Peru and Colombia), and no-one is more aware that the eyes of the world will be watching than Hugo Chavez, the nation's controversial president.

Chavez, a former communist guerilla leader, has consistently angered the US government and has had to survive at least one US-backed coup attempt, has sanctioned at least £750m of public spending on nine state-of-the-art venues for the contest.

Such is the constant state of ideological conflict in which the oil-rich state exists that Chavez has already had to warn the security services to crack down on student demonstrations which have mysteriously been scheduled for this Tuesday, the very date when the host nation begin their competition with their closest ideological bedfellows Bolivia.

Like most of the country, Chavez is a baseball fan, even playing as a pitcher at miliary academy, but he was borrowing the vernacular of football during his weekly radio and television program this week. "They can do what they want, marches or whatever, but behind this is the hand of the US empire and the extreme Venezuelan right trying to sabotage the Copa America and destabilise the country," he said. Justice minister Pedro Carreno has said protests near stadiums, airports, highways and hotels are "not permitted".

Venezuela may even have the opportunity to score some points on the field, despite having won only one Copa America match ever, back in 1967. They have certainly landed a cushy group, with only Uruguay, Peru and little Bolivia for company. Their attacking game is based on the successful Caracas club side, and in Real Mallorca midfielder Juan Arango they have an outstanding playmaker.

For Brazil, the reigning champions, Ronaldinho and Kaka have asked to be excused international duty, but for Dunga there is a first taste of tournament football both for himself and a chance for his side to atone for their laboured World Cup performance in Germany last summer.

Brazil can hardly claim to be down to the bare bones, however. Seville's quicksilver right back Daniel Alves, and PSV's mountainous centre-half Alex will play at the back; their midfield will feature Manchester United new boy Anderson and pint-sized Werder Bremen playmaker Diego; and they can boast a four-pronged European-based strike force of Robinho, Fred, Vagner Love and Afonso Alves, who was the top scorer in the Dutch league last season at Heerenveen.

Argentina are also sure to be contenders. Coach Alfio Basile welcomes back playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, rejuvenated after a spell at Boca Juniors, after he quit international football in September, while Lionel Messi's form was even more spectacular at Barca. Their group - featuring Paraguay, Colombia and the US - is noticeably more difficult.

Unfortunately, there will be no Scottish-based representation at the tournament. That was confirmed when Hearts' occasional Chilean, Mauricio Pinilla, was left out of the Chile squad, possibly because most of the headlines he created on a loan spell at Universidad de Chile were off the field.

First there was an alleged tryst with the glamorous wife of his national team captain Luis Jimenez (he incidentally has also been left out), and then being implicated in a blackmail scam after apparently singing karaoke while naked.

Such skullduggery might actually have fitted in quite well in Venezuela.