Jardim rejects Carrascal red, rages at refereeing after Flamengo defeat

In partnership with

Coluna do Fla

·24 May 2026

Jardim rejects Carrascal red, rages at refereeing after Flamengo defeat

Flamengo coach questioned referee Davi de Oliveira Lacerda’s criteria in the defeat to Palmeiras

Flamengo lost to Palmeiras this Saturday (23) in a match that was drastically shaped by the early sending-off of Carrascal. Down to 10 men, the red-and-black side could not contain the opponent’s momentum, and Palmeiras took advantage of the numerical edge to win 3-0.

After the clash, valid for the 17th round of the Brasileirão, coach Leonardo Jardim used the post-match press conference to strongly question referee Davi de Oliveira Lacerda’s criteria. The Portuguese manager argued that the officiating was too harsh on Carrascal. In the play, the Colombian challenged Palmeiras center back Murilo and raised his foot too high, receiving a straight red card in the 20th minute of the first half.

OneFootball Videos

I still haven’t spoken to Carrascal one-on-one, we only spoke as a group. There is one thing that is aggressive play, and another thing that is a high foot. I believe it was more a high foot than aggressive play. A high foot is normally a yellow card. Last year, I saw an Internacional vs. Palmeiras match with a high foot by a Palmeiras player, and the referee did not send him off. But I think it is very easy to give red cards to Flamengo. In a game where the referee chose to allow a high level of physical play, Jorginho took a heavy hit after 30 seconds, and the referee said nothing, just told them to play on,” said the coach.

The coach, in fact, did not spare criticism over the lack of consistency from officiating crews throughout the championship. Flamengo has repeatedly insisted on the issue of referees lacking clear standards and, once again, the club left the pitch feeling wronged, adding to its complaints about decisions that, according to the coaching staff, have directly influenced the team’s results.

— A high foot is something that does not amount to violent conduct, right? The player tries to control the ball, the other player is a meter and a half away from him and throws himself toward him to try to block, like in the play leading to the second goal. Varela tries to clear it with an overhead kick, the player went in with his chest, won the ball and ended up scoring. The play is similar. I think it was not a case of violent conduct. Last year, I was with Cruzeiro against Palmeiras, and Gómez made a challenge on one of our players and it was a yellow card. That is why I do not understand the criteria -, he said, before concluding.

What I do understand is this: against Flamengo, it is easy to pull out the red card and show it. That I understand very well,” Jardim concluded.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S NEXT MATCH?

With no time to dwell on it, Flamengo will face Cusco (PER) at the Maracanã. Kickoff is at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, in a match valid for the final round of Group A of the Libertadores, a competition in which the Rio de Janeiro side sits top of the group.

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will bring all the details of the match through the website, YouTube and other social media platforms. The official broadcast of the game, however, will be carried by Disney+ (streaming) and ESPN on cable.

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