Ronaldo Nazario to Lead Soccer Taskforce Aiming to Eradicate Racism, Discrimination

FILE - Ronaldo Nazario attends a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

Brazil’s two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo Nazario will lead a special taskforce created to try to eradicate racism, discrimination, and violence in South American soccer, the sport's continental governing body said Thursday.
“Its mission will be to design policies and establish prevention and sanction mechanisms that contribute to eradicating these behaviors that affect both sport and society,” CONMEBOL said in a statement.
The 48-year-old Ronaldo retired in 2019 after a career that included World Cup titles in 1994 and in 2002.
The appointment followed a meeting of leaders, government officials, former players and player union representatives convened by CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez to address the issues following his controversial statements about Brazilian football, The Associated Press reported.
Domínguez created a furor when he said Brazilian clubs withdrawing from the Copa Libertadores because of episodes of racism would make the competition “like Tarzan without Cheetah.”
CONMEBOL has been under increased pressure to act decisively against racism. Several Brazilian players and fans have been targeted by monkey chants at away matches in recent years, which has also brought more pressure on officials to act.
In addition to Ronaldo, former FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and former Argentina player Sergio Marchi, president of FIFPRO South America, will be part of the task force.