12 reds for São Paulo in 51 derbies, Choque-Rei scandal erupts | OneFootball

When Andreas Pereira fouled Marcos Antônio in the 10th minute of the second half, it seemed inevitable that the Palmeiras player would be sent off. The incident was reminiscent of Rigoni’s, who was punished with a red card the previous Thursday (2), still in the first half against Fortaleza, in a much less severe clash. Andreas tried to control the ball, stepped on it, but the São Paulo player arrived almost at the same time, kicked the ball, and ended up being hit by the opponent’s studs—first on the shin, sliding down to stop on the top of the foot. The number 20 immediately fell to the ground and needed medical attention.

Referee Ramon Abatti Abel showed only a yellow card, apparently after consulting with VAR. The decision caused outrage among São Paulo fans—not only because of the seriousness of the foul, but also due to the recent contrast with the strictness applied to Rigoni. Shortly after, feeling pain, Marcos Antônio had to be substituted. São Paulo lost momentum and the pace of the game dropped.

With this incident, Palmeiras maintained a streak that has lasted for more than a decade: no player has been sent off during regular time in a Choque-Rei since 2012. The last time was exactly 13 years ago: Artur, in the 3-0 defeat for Palmeiras in the second round of the Brazilian Championship, also on October 6, at Morumbi. Since then, there have been 12 red cards during the 51 classics between the two rivals, and all of them were given to players wearing the tricolor shirt.

The only red card given to a Palmeiras player in this period came from an off-field incident: Zé Rafael, in August last year, after a fight in the hallway leading to the locker rooms with Rodrigo Nestor, who was also sent off.

On the pitch, however, the streak remains intact, even after tackles like the one from Andreas Pereira. Also in 2024, Richard Ríos had already deserved an early shower for a hard foul on Pablo Maia, even worse than this Sunday’s, but he too went unpunished.

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