...and if you don't think the other South American Countries saw an opportunity to stick it to Brazil (very strong in keel boats)... You haven't talked to many Argentines about football and Brazil... and vice versa.
Absolutely. This is a sensitive issue.
Argentina has a history of voting against Brazil for irrational reasons. What else could you expect from people who actually believe that Maradona, a known cheater and drug addict, is greater than Pele, the most famous name in sports?
Anyway, ISAF placed the two countries in separate groups for this reason. The American continent has four groups:
Group M: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Equador and Peru
Group N: Brazil and Paraguay
Group O: Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico and lots of smaller countries in Central America and the Caribean.
Group P: US and Canada
Take care,
