Benfica player accused of sexism: A woman can't referee this match | OneFootball

Gustavo Marques was at the center of controversy after Red Bull Bragantino's elimination against São Paulo (2-1) in the quarter-finals of the Campeonato Paulista. At the end of the match, the defender, who is on loan from Benfica, harshly criticized referee Daiane Muniz.

"It's no use playing against São Paulo, Palmeiras, Corinthians, and they put a woman to referee a game of this size. She was not honest. São Paulo has all the merit, but she favored them. Red Bull is big, but for her, São Paulo was bigger. This game is also her criterion, because she was not a woman. We work every day, leave family at home, sister, father, mother, wife, everyone, for her to come and ruin the dream. She ruined our game," he began by saying.

The defender continued his criticism of the refereeing team and the competition's organizing body: "The Paulista Federation has to look at a game of this size and not put a woman. With all due respect to the women of the world, I am married, I have my mother, sorry if I'm saying something against women, but I think you can't put a woman in a game like this," he concluded.

Despite the elimination, Gustavo Marques was the scorer for his team in the match. In 2026, the center-back has scored two goals in nine games for the Brazilian team, in a season where he has gained more prominence with the Bragança Paulista club.

The center-back arrived in Portugal in 2022 to play for Torreense on loan and was bought by Benfica from Atlético Mineiro in the summer of 2024. He mostly played for the B team, having played 2 minutes for the A team in a match of the 15th round of the 2023/24 season. He is on loan to Bragantino until the summer.

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