ASSUMPTION.- The CONMEBOL He created a working group headed by the Brazilian exastro Ronaldo Nazário ‘The phenomenon’ to combat racism, discrimination and violence in football, announced the head of the entity, Alejandro Domínguez, this Thursday.
“We do not want a debate about the past, but to discuss the future,” said the Mandamás de la Conmebol after a prolonged encounter with South American football legends and representatives of governments of the 10 nations of South America members of the sports organization.
The ‘Task Force’ is made up of the former general secretary of FIFA, Fatma Samoura, and Sergio Marchi, president of the FIFPRO, the International Federation of Professional Footballers Associations that represents about 65,000 players worldwide.
The meeting was attended, among others, former Argentine soccer players Carlos Tevez, Oscar Ruggeri, Paul Caniggia, Uruguayan Diego Lugano, Brazilian Mauro Silva and Paraguayans Roberto Acuña and Rogelio Delgado.
The working group, which will be composed of other idols of football and several renowned jurists, “will work exclusively in the development and implementation of strategies to eradicate racism, discrimination and violence in South American football,” Dominguez explained.
The issue that shakes football will be dedicated to addressing the problem “with an integral approach and concrete solutions to prevent and punish in order to eradicate these behaviors that affect both sport and society,” he said.
Asunción’s meeting was attended by the presidents of the member associations, ambassadors, ministers, government representatives, in addition to former soccer players and union of the king sport.
“I get out of here with the feeling that we have taken a very important step to fight all united in search of solutions together. Football legends are here to help with our image and our commitment,” said Ronaldo, former world champion with Brazil in 1994 and 2002.
Thoroughly against racism
For the president of the Brazilian Confederation (CBF), Ednaldo Rodrigues, who participated in the meeting remotely, there is no choice but to implement firm sentences.
“Only with sports sentences, in addition to financial fines, we will get the racists out of the stadiums,” said Rodrigues, in a statement released by the CBF.
Brazilian teams have suffered repeated acts of racism in regional competitions, such as when an amateur from Cerro Porteño imitated a monkey in the direction of several Palmeiras players who played a match of the U-20 Liberators against the Paraguayan club in Asunción.
Even the president of Conmebol was involved in a controversial days ago for releasing a phrase considered racist by Brazilians, including the president of Palmeiras, Leila Pereira.
This Thursday, Dominguez remarked that the South American Football Confederation applies “the most severe sentences established internationally, in FIFA, UEFA alignment and the main leagues of the world.”
From now on, the ‘Task Force’ will take charge of administering a list of blocked people to enter stadiums, which will include those involved in acts of racism.
Likewise, new educational programs aimed at players, referees, clubs and fans will be implemented, with the aim of promoting awareness and prevention of racism in football.
