Rousseff rebukes racism against footballer Tinga

President Dilma Rousseff has chastised racist conduct by fans of soccer team Real Garcilaso in Huancayo, Peru, during a match on Wednesday (Feb. 12) for Copa Libertadores da América, the premier South American soccer tournament. Whenever Cruzeiro player Tinga touched the ball, the Peruvian crowd was imitating monkey sounds.

“That was a most deplorable incident of racism against Tinga in yesterday's match in Peru,” Rousseff said. As he left the game, Tinga said that he would trade all his titles for a world that would give equal treatment to all races. “Brazilians' hearts today are all #WithTinga [#FechadoComOTinga],” the president wrote on her Twitter.

“I've made a deal with the UN and FIFA that our #CupOfTheCups [#CopaDasCopas] will also be the #CupAgainstRacism [#CopaContraORacismo], for sports should be no place for prejudice,” Rousseff concluded.

The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) also used their Twitter account to rebuke the episode as unacceptable and promised to consider the case including potential punishment. Tinga took the field in the second half of the match, which ended up in a 2-1 defeat for Cruzeiro.

Translated by Mayra Borges