Bracks slams refs, vows action after calls against América, Cruzeiro

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·26. Januar 2026

Bracks slams refs, vows action after calls against América, Cruzeiro

The CSO of Atlético, Paulo Bracks, spoke out this Monday (26th) about the controversial incidents involving refereeing in Galo’s last two matches in the Campeonato Mineiro, against América and Cruzeiro. In a firm tone, the executive stated that the club was harmed and expressed concern on the eve of the start of the Brazilian Championship.

Bracks began by recalling the draw against América last Wednesday, when Atlético had a goal disallowed in a manner the club considered irregular.

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“On Wednesday against América, we were harmed by the refereeing. A legitimate goal by Cuello, which at that point would have given us another comeback. We chose not to speak at that moment, so as not to mask our own mistakes in that match, that draw, and shift the responsibility,” he stated.

The executive, however, emphasized that the situation was repeated in the derby against Cruzeiro last Sunday, even with outside refereeing chosen by a draw at the Federation.

But yesterday, with outside refereeing chosen by a draw at the Federation, once again the refereeing directly interfered in the game. Even with our very important victory in the derby, we cannot fail to highlight the penalty that was absurd on Bernard. In our view, the penalty was scandalous, there was no contest for the ball.

The incident mentioned happened at 47 minutes of the first half, after Bernard dribbled past the full-back Kaiki inside the box. Asked about it after the match, the Atlético midfielder was emphatic in confirming the foul: “Without a doubt. I saw the play. When I went to cut past him, his hands were down, and as I went by, he practically hugged me. He had his back to the ball, he never contested possession with me. I had a clear chance to finish there,” Bernard explained.

Wrapping up his statement, Bracks expressed concern about the state of Brazilian refereeing, especially with the Brasileirão approaching. According to him, Atlético has already taken action.

It’s impossible not to show concern, on the eve of the start of the Brazilian Championship. For this reason, tomorrow I will be at the CBF to address this matter directly with the refereeing committee. Galo does not want the whistle in its favor, but we will not accept these mistakes.

After the comeback victory in the derby against Cruzeiro, Atlético gains confidence for the rest of the season and now turns its attention to the debut in the Brazilian Championship. Galo faces Palmeiras this Wednesday (28th), at 7pm, at Arena MRV.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.