CONMEBOL president apologized for comparing Brazilian football clubs to chimpanzees.

The CONMEBOL president apologized for his words that the Copa Libertadores without Brazilian teams is like 'Tarzan without Cheetah.'

After the draw for the Copa Libertadores, journalists asked Dominguez if he could imagine the main club tournament in South America without Brazilian teams.

'It would be like Tarzan without Cheetah, it's impossible,' replied Dominguez.

Cheetah is a chimpanzee character that appeared in the films and television series about Tarzan as the hero's sidekick.

Dominguez's words outraged many football officials and fans in Brazil.

'I want to apologize. The expression I used is a popular phrase, and I never intended to belittle or offend anyone. I affirm my commitment to continuing work towards a more fair, unified, and discrimination-free football,' wrote Dominguez on social media.

It should be noted that the head coach of the Russian team 'Zenit,' Sergey Semak, revealed that the club player Wendel became a victim of racist behavior from fans and one of the players from the team 'Fakel' during a match of the Russian championship.

The midfielder 'Zenit' received a red card in the 74th minute of the match against 'Fakel' - he showed a middle finger to the opposing fans.

Wendel's expulsion overshadowed the impression of the match. Not just the expulsion. I hope there will be sanctions against those people who behave this way and feel entitled to offend players of different skin colors on a racial basis, calling a player a monkey. I hope such fans will be banned for life. The same goes for one opposing player who imitated a monkey. I hope we will provide the video. It is strange that this moment went unnoticed by the referee. We must behave with dignity,' said Semak after the game.

It is worth noting that in the aggressor country, the Brazilian Wendel has been playing since 2020. During this time, he has played over 100 matches for 'Zenit.'