CBF appoints Alex Gomes Stefano for Flamengo v Botafogo

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Coluna do Fla

·18 August 2026

CBF appoints Alex Gomes Stefano for Flamengo v Botafogo

Flamengo and Botafogo face off in the 25th round of the Brasileirão at the Maracanã

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has appointed Rio-based referee Alex Gomes Stefano to officiate the match between Flamengo and Botafogo on the 30th of this month, starting at 4:00 p.m. (Brasília time). The ball rolls for the derby at the Maracanã in the 25th round of the Brasileirão. The rest of the officiating crew is still being assessed.

Thus, Stefano will referee Rubro-Negro’s third match of 2026 so far. That is because the official was in charge of the Campeonato Carioca clashes against Fluminense and Sampaio Corrêa-RJ. Fla lost the derby 2-1, but thrashed the Saquarema side 7-1.

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What other Rubro-Negro matches has Alex Gomes Stefano officiated?

Sampaio Corrêa-RJ – 7-1 – Carioca 2026 – win;
Fluminense – 2-1 – Carioca 2026 – loss;
Botafogo – 0-3 – Brasileirão 2025 – W;
Fluminense – 0-0 – Carioca 2025 – draw;
Boavista-RJ – 4-0 – Carioca 2024 – W;
Audax Rio – 4-0 – Carioca 2024 – W;
Portuguesa-RJ – 4-1 – Carioca 2023 – W.

Therefore, Mengão has had only one negative result so far with Stefano on the whistle. In addition, the Rio referee already oversaw a commanding 3-0 Fla win over Botafogo in last year’s Brasileirão, which ended with a rubro-negro title.

What was the last match officiated by Alex Gomes Stefano?

The last match the Rio-based referee officiated was in the 23rd round of the Brasileirão between Athletico-PR and Bragantino, which ended 1-1. On that occasion, the draw had no refereeing controversies.

What is Flamengo’s next match?

Before Botafogo, however, the Most Beloved will face Cruzeiro twice in a row. The first is in the Libertadores this Wednesday (19), at the Maracanã. The ball rolls from 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) in the second leg of the round of 16, with the aggregate score tied at 1-1.

Then, the Most Beloved takes on the same Cruzeiro, but in the 24th round of the Brasileirão, at Mineirão, this Saturday (22), starting at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time). After that, Fla will prepare for the derby in the Brazilian Championship at the Maracanã.

What is the author’s opinion on the refereeing of Flamengo vs Botafogo?

A Rio referee in charge of a derby… I hope there are no controversies so we don’t have to deal with whining, not only from Botafogo, but from all the other clubs as well, like Palmeiras,” said João Vítor from Coluna do Fla.

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