The head of Uruguay’s football association, Wilmar Valdez, says it was a mistake to play the Centenary Copa America in the United States and that the tournament had been arranged to favour Mexico, who beat Uruguay 3-1 in their opening game.

In a bad-tempered encounter in Phoenix on Sunday, Uruguay had a man sent off in the first half and conceded two goals in the last nine minutes.

That came after organisers had played the wrong national anthem for Uruguay before the match.

Valdez told Uruguayan radio station Sport 890 that the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) should not have chosen the United States to host the 100th anniversary of the world’s oldest continental competition first played in Buenos Aires in 1916.

The tournament has been boosted to a 16-team format for the first time with the inclusion of six teams from CONCACAF, which governs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

“CONMEBOL was wrong,” Valdez said.

“It erred in celebrating a tournament like this, the oldest in the world, South American football, here in the United States where yesterday it became very clear that it is arranged for Mexico.”

As one of the CONMEBOL officials behind the hosting decision, Valdez admitted he shared responsibility for “the mistake”. He offered no evidence to back his claim that the tournament had been set up to favour Mexico.

“South American football is passion,” Valdez said.

“It’s a different culture, with lots of positive things. But the US is a country where they don’t feel football.”