Leila: Referees not to blame, Verdão still chasing title | OneFootball

The issue of arbitration continues to cause controversy in Brazilian football. After Palmeiras lost to Grêmio this Tuesday, coach Abel Ferreira questioned whether the referees of the championship might be afraid to officiate Verdão's matches after the suspension of referee Ramon Abatti Abel for his decisions in the Choque-Rei.

President Leila Pereira, on the other hand, took a different stance from the coach and absolved the referees from the drop in Palmeiras' performance in the last Brasileirão matches. According to the president, the blame lies solely with the team.

"I don't believe that the last five games that Palmeiras couldn't win were due to arbitration. I cannot outsource this blame; this responsibility is ours. It was our incapacity. It's clear to me, to the football director, and to the coach. We will try to correct this for the upcoming games. I don't like talking about arbitration, about the schedule. It's our reality, and we have to fight to improve these difficulties. Arbitration errors don't happen only with Palmeiras. The CBF knows we need to improve arbitration, its criteria. I don't believe there is bad faith; I think the referees lack training. The only person who speaks for Palmeiras is the president, and I believe we didn't win the last five games due to our incapacity," said Leila during the Summit CBF Academy, an event held in São Paulo.

Still Not Giving Up

The president of Palmeiras also stated that the club has not given up fighting for the Brazilian Championship title. With the defeat to Grêmio and Flamengo's draw with Galo, the gap between the clubs increased to five points, with only six points left to play for until the end of the competition.

"Palmeiras, according to the president's mindset, will never abandon a championship. As long as it is mathematically possible to win, we will fight for it. Leila Pereira hasn't abandoned anything," stated the president.

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