The CONMEBOL president issues an apology for Tarzan’s comment on Brazilian teams

Alejandro Dominguez, the president of CONMEBOL, expressed regret on Tuesday for comparing the Copa Libertadores as “Tarzan without Cheetah” in response to a club official’s suggestion that teams could withdraw because of racism.

After an incident involving one of the team’s under-20 players, Palmeiras president Leila Pereira stated that Brazilian clubs should think about withdrawing from South American championships because there aren’t any severe consequences against racism.

A chimpanzee named Cheetah made appearances in the Tarzan television shows and movies.

After Monday’s draw for South America’s top club championship at the CONMEBOL headquarters in Paraguay, Dominguez was questioned by reporters if he could envision a Libertadores without Brazilian teams.

Dominguez laughed in response. “That would be like Tarzan without Cheetah, impossible,” we said.

The Paraguayan had just moments before declared in a speech that racism was a problem in football and that his organization would keep enforcing penalties to ensure that “every racist expression has a real consequence.”

“I wish to express my regret. On his X account on Tuesday, Dominguez stated, “The expression I used is a popular phrase and I never intended to belittle or disqualify anyone.”

“The CONMEBOL Libertadores is unthinkable without the participation of clubs from the 10 member countries (…) I reaffirm my commitment to continue working for a fairer, more united and discrimination-free football.”

Following a backlash against Dominguez’s remarks, the Brazilian government vehemently denounced them and chastised CONMEBOL for not enacting more effective anti-racism policies.

According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement, “The Brazilian government repudiates in the strongest terms the statements made by the President of CONMEBOL Alejandro Dominguez.”

“The statements take place in a context in which CONMEBOL authorities have repeatedly failed to adopt effective measures to prevent and avoid the repetition of acts of racism in matches organized by them.”

CONMEBOL punished Cerro Porteno of Paraguay $50,000 earlier this month for the racial abuse of Palmeiras midfielder Luighi during a Copa Libertadores under-20 game.

Pereira called the CONMEBOL sanction “absurd” and recommended that clubs look into joining the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) if the governing body did not respect Brazilian football.