The president of CONMEBOL is accused of racism after comparing Brazilian clubs to Tarzan's monkey.
The statement was made during the draw for the Libertadores and Sudamericana groups on Monday (17).
247 - Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez was accused of racism after a statement made at the draw for the Libertadores and Sudamericana groups on Monday (17). On that occasion, when questioned by journalists about the possibility of a Libertadores without Brazilian clubs, Domínguez replied, laughing: "That would be like Tarzan without Cheeta", referring to the character who, in the story, is a monkey.
The statement generated even more repercussions because Conmebol itself addressed the fight against racism at the ceremony. In his speech, Domínguez highlighted that the organization works to punish discriminatory attitudes and mentioned the Luighi case, which occurred in the U-20 Libertadores Cup.
“Racism is a scourge that doesn't originate in football, but rather in societies, yet it affects football, and CONMEBOL is sensitive to this reality. How could we not be sensitive to Luighi's pain? Our challenge is to be fair to those who are not responsible for these events,” he stated. “CONMEBOL applies sanctions and does everything in its power to change this reality, but it is not enough.”
After the negative reaction to the statement, Domínguez used social media to apologize.
“I never intended to belittle or disqualify anyone. The Conmebol Libertadores is unthinkable without the participation of clubs from the 10 member countries,” he wrote. “I reaffirm my commitment to continue working for a fairer, more united and discrimination-free football.”
