Leila Pereira blasts Flamengo statement: ‘Forget Palmeiras’ | OneFootball

“Regarding Flamengo’s statement, honestly, I didn’t understand why the club inserted itself into this matter. We were questioning decisions related to our player. Did the shoe fit?”, she said, before concluding: “I thought it was pretty shameless for them to say Palmeiras is the club that benefits most from refereeing. They forgot what happened in the Libertadores final. I’ve never used refereeing as a crutch, but everyone saw what happened. If VAR intervened more in Palmeiras plays, it was because there were mistakes that needed to be corrected. It was a statement that made no sense at all. I think they should focus more on their own club and forget Palmeiras a little,” Leila Pereira concluded in an interview with TV Palmeiras.

Palmeiras received with astonishment the complaint filed by the STJD Prosecutor’s Office against Maurício. This initiative affronts not only our institution, but also Brazilian refereeing. The referee and VAR reviewed the play and concluded that a yellow card was sufficient. If every refereeing interpretation is to be replaced by a prosecutor’s conviction, what are the referee and VAR for? The complaint is also incomprehensible because the foul did not even generate a consensus of opinion; on the contrary, it divided refereeing experts, former athletes, and journalists. Even more serious, however, is the Court’s lack of criteria. In the same round, players Pulgar and Raniele committed similar infractions, as shown in the videos below (Pulgar and Raniele plays). Unlike what it did with Maurício, however, the STJD respected the refereeing decisions involving Flamengo and Corinthians players. We therefore arrive at the inevitable question: why will only Maurício be judged? There is no justice when identical infractions receive different treatment. The Prosecutor’s Office gives the impression that certain episodes deserve extraordinary attention while others may be ignored. If Maurício was charged for a foul worthy of a yellow card, why did the following plays go unpunished by the body? It is not the first time we have been forced to question the STJD. The disproportionate punishment of coach Abel Ferreira and the suspensions of Allan and Paulinho — now added to the complaint against Maurício — reinforce the perception that there is a lack of balance and equality in the Court’s conduct involving our club. Palmeiras has always respected institutions, but demands respect. We will not silently accept institutional boundaries being overstepped and unreasonable measures harming the excellent work carried out by our professionals,” said the São Paulo club.

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