Palmeiras v São Paulo: Paulistão semi-final derby full of controversy | OneFootball

Palmeiras and São Paulo face each other this Sunday (1st) in yet another chapter of the Choque-Rei, filled with rivalry and recent memories that still resonate behind the scenes. The rematch takes place shortly after decisive matches marked by controversial moments both in the 2025 Campeonato Paulista and the Brasileirão.

Decisive Penalty in the 2025 Paulistão

In last year’s State Championship semifinal, Palmeiras eliminated São Paulo with a 1-0 victory, in a match decided by a penalty that generated strong protests from the Tricolor side. The goal was scored by Raphael Veiga, after a foul was called on Arboleda against Vitor Roque inside the box.

The incident sparked protests from São Paulo fans, and later the Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF) acknowledged, in a document sent to the club, that there was a mistake in the referee’s decision.

In the VAR audio released at the time, video referee Rodrigo Guarizo confirmed the interpretation of the field referee, Flávio Rodrigues de Souza, who was not called to the monitor to review the play.

Complaints in the Brasileirão as well

The feeling of dissatisfaction was not limited to the State Championship. In the second round of the 2025 Campeonato Brasileiro, in a match played at MorumBis in October, Palmeiras won 3-2 after coming from behind. São Paulo complained about refereeing decisions during the match.

Referee Ramon Abatti Abel was the target of criticism and ended up being suspended by the CBF, in addition to being punished by the STJD. Even so, he remained on the list of Brazilian referees eligible to compete for a spot in the World Cup.

Among São Paulo’s main complaints was a possible uncalled penalty by Allan on Tapia, when Tricolor was leading 2-0. The club also pointed out an unmarked foul on Tapia in the play that led to Palmeiras’ first goal.

Other incidents were also questioned, such as a collision between Gustavo Gómez and Tapia, as well as a challenge by Andreas Pereira.

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