Weverton hits back at Ceni, calls Fonte Nova pitch a "lack of respect" | OneFootball

The statement by Rogério Ceni about Palmeiras after the match against Bahia continues to make waves. This Wednesday, goalkeeper Weverton responded to the Tricolor coach’s remarks and said that playing on the Arena Fonte Nova pitch in the conditions it was in during that Sunday’s match is a “lack of respect” towards the players.

“It’s almost unbelievable to hear what we hear. I don’t follow social media, I don’t. But, to say that Palmeiras only plays long balls and not mention the pitch we played on Sunday. That was a lack of respect towards the athletes, playing on that field. That was all we could do at the time, because the pitch didn’t offer conditions to play, to build from the back, to take risks,” said Weverton.

“That’s in the past, we know what we’re doing. No one wins so many years in a row just by playing long balls. We have to look at it that way, at the performances, the numbers. History speaks for itself. We’re going to keep working to achieve our goal, which is to win. And when we don’t win, we know there will be questions,” he continued.

What did Rogério Ceni say?

After Palmeiras’ 1-0 defeat to Bahia, the Palmeiras coach criticized the condition of the Fonte Nova pitch. There, Verdão saw Lucas Evangelista get injured. The midfielder tore the tendon of his right hamstring and will need surgery. Rogério Ceni, on the other hand, did not like Abel’s criticism, mentioned the synthetic pitch at Allianz Parque, and said that the coach’s team “only plays direct balls.”

“I think the color was really ugly, honestly. For Palmeiras, a bad pitch is better because they almost only play direct balls. Their style of play is Weverton-Flaco-Vitor Roque. For us, it hurts more because we play out from the back on the ground. We’d also like the pitch to be in better condition, but I think it hurt us more than them,” Ceni said at the time.

Abel avoids responding to Ceni’s criticism in Bahia vs Palmeiras and praises: “One of the best Brazilian coaches”

Situation in the Brazilian Championship

With this result, Palmeiras takes over second place, with 52 points. Alviverde will sleep in second position since Cruzeiro, who has 50, only plays this Thursday, against Cruzeiro, at Maracanã. Meanwhile, Vasco lost its seven-game unbeaten streak and remains in 12th place, with 30 points.

Palmeiras’ next match

Match: São Paulo vs Palmeiras Competition: Campeonato Brasileiro (27th round) Date and time: October 5, 2025 (Sunday), at 4:00 pm (Brasília time) Venue: Morumbis, São Paulo (SP)

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