Alejandro Guillermo Dominguez Wilson–Smith
is bearer of the ultimate poisoned chalice in
the football banquet: the presidency of the
South American confederation. He must lead
CONMEBOL out of the mire of its corrupt past- and in a manner that will quash criticism
that, for him, the job is just a rich boy’s toy.
Like Infantino at both UEFA and FIFA,
Dominguez owes his status not only to his
own ambition but largely to events beyond
his will and control.
CONMEBOL’s leadership is considered
off limits to Brazil and Argentina in order
to maintain a political balance.
From 1986 to 2015 the presidency was
held, successively, by Paraguayan Nicolas
Leoz, briefly Uruguayan Eugenio Figueredo
then another Paraguayan in Juan Angel
Napout. It was under these three that
high-level financial fraud for personal
gain was institutionalised. That continued
until 2015 when the US Justice Department’s
FIFAGate investigation cut the head of the
criminal dragon. Leoz had already been forced
out by the FIFA/ISL scandal, and Figueredo
and Napout were both indicted. Figueredo was
extradited to Uruguay and Napout to the US.
Hence another Paraguayan in Dominguez,
to his own surprise, was propelled into the
CONMEBOL presidency.
Initially, he was decried by opponents
as lightweight. His father, Osvaldo, was
a heavyweight politician and millionaire
businessman who had enriched himselfunder the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner.
Young Alejandro, 44 on his accession in 2015,
never had to worry for the next guarani.
However, he understood the international
political game and quickly hitched his horses
to the Infantino bandwagon.
CONMEBOL remains a welcoming haven
for FIFA tournaments: the Women’s World
Under-17s in Uruguay in 2018, the recent
men’s World Under-17s in Brazil. In the
meantime, Dominguez has been using his
influence and family connections to rebuild
trust with the authorities in Paraguay.
A far greater test lies around the corner:
the bid from Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay
and Chile for the centenary World Cup in- That will be a definitive guide to the
real place of Dominguez and CONMEBOL
in the football power game.
Keir Radnedge
Alejandro DOMINGUEZ
Paraguay, CONMEBOL president, FIFA CouncilSPOTLIGHT ON...
B-G
Dominguez understood the
international political game
and quickly hitched his horses
to the Infantino bandwagon