Don't worry, Concacaf, You're safe from Brazilian dominance for now | OneFootball

Leila Pereira, the president of Palmeiras, has thrown out a wild suggestion: Brazilian clubs should leave CONMEBOL and start competing in Concacaf, swapping the Copa Libertadores for Concacaf Champions Cup, the Copa America for the Gold Cup, and so on.

All of this came after a disgusting case of racism against Palmeiras U-20 forward Luighi, which ended with a laughable, downright embarrassing punishment for Cerro Porteño. But is there actually a future for this idea, or was it just frustration boiling over?

Understandable anger

The anger is totally justified. South American soccer has a massive racism problem, and CONMEBOL treats it like someone ignoring smoke in the kitchen, pretending the house isn’t about to burn down. You guys know the meme by now. Weak fines, pointless sanctions, it's the same old story. What happened to Luighi is just another chapter in a never-ending book of impunity. And Leila’s outburst? It carries weight because, like her or not, she’s a powerful figure who isn’t afraid to take on CONMEBOL.

But venting frustration is one thing. Actually believing that Brazilian clubs will walk away from CONMEBOL is another. For that to happen, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) would have to cut ties with South America’s governing body and apply to join Concacaf.

FIFA does, in rare cases, allow confederation switches. It’s happened before, Australia left Oceania for Asia to face tougher competition, and Israel moved to Europe for geopolitical reasons. But Brazil? That sounds like pure fantasy. And what would Brazil gain from leaving natural club and international rivalries with nations like Uruguay and Argentina, trading them in for potential matches with Curacao and El Salvador?

Guest invitations

That doesn’t mean Brazilian clubs couldn’t play in the Champions Cup as invitees without leaving CONMEBOL. Mexican teams, for example, played in the Libertadores from 1998 to 2016 despite not being part of the South American federation. They got in by invitation, made it to the final three times, but were never allowed to represent the tournament at the Club World Cup. Similarly, Mexican and even MLS teams briefly competed in the Copa Sudamericana.

On the international level, Brazil has been among the foreign invitees to compete in editions of the Concacaf Gold Cup over the years, while Mexico, the USA and others have helped CONMEBOL fill out the 12-team Copa America field at times.

If the goal is just to play in the North American competition -- and make North American ticket revenue -- while staying in CONMEBOL, that’s a different story. But even Mexico got shut out of that option recently, showing FIFA isn’t a big fan of this kind of mix-and-match approach.

Racism is a disease in South American soccer, and as long as CONMEBOL keeps treating it like an afterthought, incidents like what happened to Luighi will keep happening. But leaving CONMEBOL isn’t the answer. The real play is to turn up the heat, push FIFA, demand harsher punishments, and create an environment where every player feels safe on the field.

CONMEBOL needs to realize that Brazilian soccer is the backbone of the Libertadores. Without Brazilian clubs, the tournament loses a huge chunk of its magic and value. The pressure has to be smart, making it clear they won’t settle for being treated like second-class citizens. Does CONMEBOL love money? Then let them feel the financial hit if they don’t start taking this seriously.