Rio de Janeiro (EFE).- Atlético Mineiro on Wednesday demanded exemplary sanctions from Conmebol for the case of racism registered on Tuesday in the Copa Libertadores, when the team’s goalkeeper Everson was called “monkey” by Libertad fans Paraguayan in Asunción.
“Really severe sanctions have to be applied so that those cowardly and inadmissible scenes that were seen in the Defensores del Chaco (stadium) are not repeated in the stadiums of South America,” the Belo Horizonte club said in a statement.
The management of the Brazilian team said they had recorded images of the “unfortunate racist insults” and assured that the director of their soccer department, Rodrigo Caetano, personally delivered them to the Conmebol delegate at the match so that the entity could take action.
The Confederation, however, until now has not ruled, nor has Libertad.
Outrage over expressions of racism in football
The new case of racism occurred on Tuesday night at the end of the match in which Mineiro tied 1-1 in their visit to Libertad and which ensured the classification of the Brazilian team to the round of 16 of the Libertadores as second in their group and the elimination of the Paraguayan.
The racist insults are clearly heard in the images that Atlético Mineiro published, recorded when Everson left the Defensores del Chaco field.
“Indignation is the word that defines the feeling of the Galo (as Mineiro is known by its fans) in the face of the racist demonstrations by Libertad fans directed at goalkeeper Everson,” the Belo Horizonte club said.
The goalkeeper, in statements to the press, said that he hopes that Conmebol does not limit itself to divulging a note regretting the incident.
“It is up to us to fight for our rights. Soon it will be just another note from Conmebol but we have to stand firm and work with the hope that one day this will change. But if drastic measures are not taken, this will not change, ”he said.
Libertadores and Sudamericana, under pressure
The repetition of cases of racism in matches of the Libertadores and the Sudamericana led the president of Santos, Andrés Rueda, to defend last month that the Brazilian clubs opt together to withdraw their teams from the pitch in matches in Brazil or abroad where acts of discrimination occur.
Rueda spoke after the São Paulo club denounced in a statement that its players Ângelo and Joaquim were called “monkeys” by rival fans in the match in the Chilean city of Rancagua in which Santos visited Audax for the South American Cup.
That same day it was denounced that Colombian forward Hugo Rodallega was the victim of racist insults in the South American match between Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata and Independiente Santa Fe played in La Plata, Argentina.
Cases of racism in football gained great international repercussion after the attacks suffered by the Brazilian Vinícius Júnior in the match between Real Madrid and Valencia in the Spanish League.