ASUNCION, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) — The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol), the Mercosur Institute of Public Policies on Human Rights (IPPDH) and the Government of Paraguay launched this Monday a joint initiative against racism, discrimination and xenophobia in football.
These actions will take place within the framework of the Conmebol campaign “Enough of Racism”, and will be implemented during the matches of the Libertadores and Sudamericana 2024 cups, whose semifinals begin this week with the first legs.
They seek to highlight football as a unifying social expression and identity of Mercosur, emphasizing the union, inclusion and South American identity that football also represents, according to an official report from Conmebol.
The report details that, based on the coordination carried out by the three aforementioned institutions, progress is being made in joint work of which this initiative is the first step and consists of a series of messages that will be disseminated on social networks.
Likewise, the institutions agreed to carry out a regional campaign in 2025 that allows for convening, training and raising awareness among clubs, fans, players, referees, journalists, security agents and the general public on this issue.
Likewise, they committed to advancing actions to promote sanction, penalization and/or judicialization in cases of racial discrimination in all countries in the region, and to eliminate violence inside and outside stadiums.
“It is necessary to promote respect for human rights also in sport, and put an end to all types of violence linked to football, both inside and outside stadiums, whether practiced by individuals or public agents. Football identifies us as a region , it is camaraderie and solidarity; it is part of the South American identity and of this regional integration process, from the IPPDH, we appeal to build a football full of passion, without discrimination, racism or xenophobia,” highlighted the Executive Director of the IPPDH, Andressa Caldas.
“The Ministry of Justice of Paraguay adheres with firm conviction to the initiative aimed at combating racism, discrimination and xenophobia in football, a sport that transcends borders and unites millions of Paraguayans. We firmly believe that football, in addition to “Being a sport, it is a powerful tool to build a more just society, where each individual can enjoy this spectacle in an environment free of discrimination and mutual respect,” the Ministry of Justice of Paraguay officially announced.
The “Enough of Racism” campaign aims to raise awareness and educate fans and protagonists on the playing field, seeking to safeguard human dignity and eradicate racism, violence and discrimination in the field of South American football, preserving the values of camaraderie, sportsmanship and healthy competition, highlights the Conmebol report.
