Barros hits back at Felipe Luís and Boto: Hypocrisy must end | OneFootball

In a match marked by individual errors and refereeing mistakes, Palmeiras was defeated by Flamengo 3-2 on Sunday afternoon (19) and missed the chance to extend their lead in the Brazilian Championship. Vitor Roque and Gustavo Gómez scored for Palmeiras, while Arrascaeta, Jorginho, and Pedro scored for the team from Rio.

With this result, Verdão and Flamengo are tied in the standings, both with 61 points from 28 matches. Palmeiras remains the leader due to tiebreaker criteria – 19 wins against 18.

Statements after the match

After the match, coach Felipe Luís and Director José Boto spoke about the refereeing, ironically suggesting that Palmeiras could not complain about Wilton Pereira Sampaio's performance.

Palmeiras' response

In a firm tone, Anderson Barros, executive director of Verdão, responded to the statements from the Flamengo side.

— Unlike some clubs, which justify their failures by blaming others, we will not hold the refereeing responsible for today's result. Winning or losing is part of the game, and I am proud of how we imposed ourselves away from home against a great team. But we cannot tolerate hypocrisy.

It is unacceptable for (coach) Filipe Luís and (director José) Boto to continue making accusations against Palmeiras, especially after a game where there were refereeing errors that favored Flamengo.

Regarding these errors, Palmeiras' management will discuss them with the Refereeing Commission in the appropriate forums, as it always does.

I respect Filipe Luís for the career he has built as an athlete and is now developing as a coach, but it is unethical to speak about another club the way he did.

As for Boto's statements, they do not surprise me. We just need to remember the lie he told in the mixed zone at Allianz Parque, after the first-round match, when he said that Palmeiras officials had tried to invade the referees' dressing room, which was denied by everyone, including in the match report.

I hope the Sports Justice is firm with those who, week after week, lie and use insinuations without proof to exert pressure, seeking sporting advantage.

For the good of Brazilian football, this pressure needs to stop! What we have experienced in recent days was very serious and requires reflection from everyone. — he said.

What now?

With the result, Verdão and Flamengo are tied in the Brazilian Championship standings, both with 61 points from 28 matches. Palmeiras remains the leader due to tiebreaker criteria – 19 wins against 18.

The Palmeiras team returns to the field for the Brasileirão next Sunday (26) at 8:30 PM (Brasília time) against Cruzeiro, at Allianz Parque. The team from Minas Gerais is in third place, five points behind Palmeiras, but with one more match played – 28 against 29.

Before that, the team will play the first leg of the Libertadores semifinal against LDU on Thursday (23) at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), away in Quito, Ecuador.

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