Palmeiras: Most controversial refereeing calls this season | OneFootball

The 2025 season comes to a close this December, leaving behind a trail of heated discussions about refereeing in decisive Palmeiras matches. From decisions that secured qualifications to errors admitted by the CBF and applied suspensions, the whistle was a protagonist in several crucial moments of the year, directly influencing the fate of competitions and inflaming rivalries between clubs.

The decisive penalty in the Choque-Rei of the Paulista

The history of controversies began early, on March 10, during the semifinal of the Paulista Championship against São Paulo. At Allianz Parque, a play in the final minutes of the first half defined the classic when goalkeeper Rafael, trying to play out with Arboleda, handed the ball to Vitor Roque.

The forward fell in a clash with the Ecuadorian defender, and referee Flávio Rodrigues de Souza awarded a penalty considered "shameful" by the tricolor board. Raphael Veiga converted the penalty, securing a 1-0 victory and the alviverde classification, which led to official protests from president Julio Casares and director Carlos Belmonte.

Error admitted by the CBF at Ilha do Retiro

In the Brazilian Championship, the controversy repeated itself in the second round. In Palmeiras' 2-1 victory over Sport, referee Bruno Arleu de Araújo awarded a penalty on Raphael Veiga at the 46th minute of the final stage, without consulting the VAR monitor.

Piquerez converted the penalty that secured three points for the São Paulo team, but the negative repercussion was immediate. Days later, in a gesture of transparency, the CBF publicly admitted that there was an error in the penalty call, confirming that the play should not have been awarded.

Charge on Gustavo Gómez and heightened emotions at Maracanã

The tense atmosphere continued into the direct clash against Flamengo, in a game with the weight of an early final. In the second minute of the match, Gustavo Gómez fell in the area after being charged by Jorginho from behind, but Wilton Pereira Sampaio let the game continue, to the despair of Palmeiras fans.

The 3-2 defeat allowed the Rubro-Negro to equal Palmeiras' points at the top, resulting in heavy criticism from Gómez, who suggested a "personal problem" of the referee against the club after the expulsions of Piquerez and assistant João Martins for complaining.

Suspensions by the STJD after the duel at Morumbis

In the second round, in a new Choque-Rei held at Morumbis in October, referee Ramon Abatti Abel became the center of criticism for ignoring two crucial plays in favor of São Paulo: a possible penalty on Tapia and a hard tackle by Andreas Pereira on Marcos Antônio.

The lack of VAR review and the maintenance of field decisions caused widespread outrage. The case was so severe that, in November, the STJD applied 40-day suspensions to Abatti Abel and VAR operator Ilbert Estevam, acknowledging the technical failure in conducting the match.

Gómez's yellow card and the dissatisfaction from Minas

Finally, the goalless draw against Cruzeiro, in the 30th round, presented a reverse scenario, with the Minas team outraged by a strong tackle by Gustavo Gómez on Wanderson.

Although the VAR suggested a review for a possible red card, referee Rafael Rodrigo Klein maintained his field decision and issued only a yellow warning. The audio released by the CBF hours later confirmed that the refereeing team considered the play only for a yellow card.

Pulgar's tackle and the controversy in the continental final

The tension reached its peak in the Libertadores final, between Palmeiras and Flamengo. At 30 minutes of the first half, midfielder Pulgar harshly hit Bruno Fuchs, the Verdão defender, in a play that stopped the match for a few minutes for medical attention.

Despite the impact leaving clear marks of the cleats on the Palmeiras player's leg, referee Darío Herrera opted to issue only a yellow card. The decision sparked immediate outrage on the alviverde bench, aggravated by the fact that the VAR did not recommend a review for a possible expulsion, becoming one of the most discussed plays of the season.

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