The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) has suspended Bruno Tabata, a player for Palmeiras, for four months due to an incident of racial discrimination during his team's 3-0 victory over Cerro Porteño from Paraguay in the Copa Libertadores. The midfielder claimed he was the victim and that his team would appeal the decision.
Tabata and a group of Palmeiras substitutes raised awareness of racist chants from Cerro Porteño fans during the match held in May. However, CONMEBOL's disciplinary committee penalized the Brazilian player for "unsportsmanlike conduct."
Palmeiras will appeal the decision and has compiled several videos to support their case. Tabata stated in a video to CONMEBOL, "Cerro Porteño accused me of making racist gestures towards their fans during our match, which I did not commit." He added, "What happened is that I heard the fans chant 'monkeys' towards the players on the field. We do not speak Spanish and did not understand what was happening. I asked one of the fans because I wanted to know what the chant was, and he told me they were calling the players monkeys."
The magazine "Globoesporte" published a video of a Cerro Porteño fan referring to Palmeiras players as monkeys, along with other offensive chants. CONMEBOL decided to fine Cerro Porteño $100,000 and imposed a partial closure of the lower north stand for their next match, requiring them to display a sign stating "End Racial Discrimination."
Reuters was unable to obtain a comment from CONMEBOL.
