In letter, Conmebol criticizes Wenger’s statements and increase in substitutions

CONMEBOL released, on the night of this Tuesday (14), excerpts from a letter sent to FIFA in which it criticized the recent statements of Arsene Wenger, head of department of the maximum football entity, and the rule change that allows five substitutions in official games.

Wenger, a former Arsenal manager and FIFA’s Global Football Development representative, recently said that if French striker Kylian Mbappé “had been born in Cameroon, he would not have become the striker he is today”.

“There is Europe and there is the rest of the world. And the rest of the world needs help, otherwise we’re going to lose a lot of talent,” Wenger said at a technicians’ conference held in Germany earlier this month.

In a statement, CONMEBOL stated that it “rejects and condemns the unhappy expressions of the top FIFA official”. The entity says that the talent of African and South American players must be valued and respected.

“Wenger’s words – in addition to revealing an unusual ignorance about the valuable contribution of African players to world football, especially European football – show a biased bias that makes the efforts of football players and sports institutions that are not in Europe invisible. ”, declared Conmebol.

Greater number of replacements

The South American entity also criticized the recent definitive approval of five substitutions in official matches by the International Football Council (IFAB).

For Conmebol, the measure was adopted “without a consultation process that would clearly have enriched the debate”. “If changes that have global effects on our sport are decided unilaterally, they can generate irritation and mistrust.”

In the statement, Conmebol does not declare an opinion against or in favor of such change.