Coluna do Fla
·3 April 2026
Journalist hits out at Erick Pulgar and reignites discipline debate

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Yahoo sportsColuna do Fla
·3 April 2026

Flamengo were defeated 3-0 by Red Bull Bragantino last Thursday (02), in Bragança Paulista. Besides the negative result, what drew attention was the sending-off of Erick Pulgar. Journalist André Rizek criticized the Chilean’s attitude and recalled the midfielder’s history.
— When Erick Pulgar was sent off, it was already 2-0 to Red Bull Bragantino, right? I just wanted to add that Pulgar’s track record is not good. He was only not sent off in the Copa Libertadores final because they got it wrong —, André Rizek began.
“He could have left Flamengo with ten men at the start of the game. Pulgar has had some stupid send-offs in his career, despite playing very well in his role”, concluded the Rede Globo journalist during a program on SporTV this Friday (03).
Flamengo were losing 2-0 to Red Bull Bragantino in Bragança Paulista. However, five minutes into the second half, Erick Pulgar received a red card after the play was reviewed by VAR. As a result, the Rubro-Negro side also conceded a third goal and lost 3-0.
Erick Pulgar escaped a sending-off in the Copa Libertadores final, in which Flamengo beat Palmeiras 1-0 in Lima. On that occasion, the Chilean defensive midfielder committed a hard foul on opposing center back Bruno Fuchs, but the referee understood that it did not warrant a red card.
Flamengo decided to punish Erick Pulgar because of the sending-off against Red Bull Bragantino. In addition, the midfielder is suspended for the match against Santos, which takes place on Sunday (05) at 5:30 pm (Brasília time), at the Maracanã, in the Brazilian Championship.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.









































