“Grotesque errors”: Admar Lopes blasts refs after Vasco win, urges CBF | OneFootball

Despite the 1-0 victory over Vitória on Wednesday night (26) in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals, the mood behind the scenes at São Januário was one of strong indignation over the refereeing. Shortly after the final whistle, Vasco executive football director Admar Lopes made a forceful statement in the press room, firing harsh criticism at the match’s key decisions and demanding formal action from the CBF refereeing commission.

The Vasco official mainly challenged the straight red card shown to defensive midfielder Cauan Barros in the 14th minute of the first half, and also complained about a penalty not awarded for a foul on forward Spinelli inside the opposition box:

The football director highlighted that the squad managed to overcome the adversity “against everything and everyone” to build a lead on the scoreboard, but demanded complete impartiality and technical rigor in the choice of referees for the return leg, scheduled for Barradão stadium in Salvador.

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Tense atmosphere at halftime and confusion in the São Januário tunnels

Vasco’s anger had already begun at halftime. Unhappy with the way the match was being handled, director Admar Lopes, technical director Felipe, and assistant Bruno Lazaroni went down to the pitch to demand answers from the refereeing team in the access tunnel.

The moment caused major commotion and required the intervention of the Specialized Stadium Policing Battalion (BEPE) and the Military Police to calm tempers on the way down to the dressing rooms, where there was shoving and a highly tense atmosphere among those present.

Felipe argues with the referee during Vasco vs. Vitória – Photo: André Durão/ge

The controversial red-card incident that enraged Vasco

The incident that sparked the board’s dissatisfaction happened when Barros was pressed while playing out from the back by Renato Kayzer. Vasco players pointed out that the opposing attacker handled the ball with his arm at the start of the challenge, a play that was ignored on the field.

Moments later, off balance, the Vasco midfielder put his hand on the ball. After a recommendation and an on-screen review by the VAR, the referee interpreted that Barros was the last man and showed a straight red card, leaving Vasco with one player fewer for more than 75 minutes of the match.

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