Palmeiras and Bahia meet again after 2025 pitch row

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·4 April 2026

Palmeiras and Bahia meet again after 2025 pitch row

Palmeiras and Bahia face off this Sunday (5) at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, in a clash between two teams at the top of the Brazilian Championship table — first and third place, respectively. Besides the direct battle for the top spot, the match also marks a rematch after a controversy-filled meeting last season.

In the match between the teams in September 2025, at the same stadium, Bahia won 1-0. The game was marked by Verdão criticizing the condition of the pitch and by an exchange of remarks between coaches Abel Ferreira and Rogério Ceni.

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Palmeiras complaints

After the defeat, Palmeiras showed dissatisfaction with the state of the Arena Fonte Nova pitch. Football director Anderson Barros said the club had even formally filed a complaint with the CBF, demanding a minimum standard for pitches.

Coach Abel Ferreira also criticized the field and linked the conditions to the injuries suffered by players during the match.

‘‘We can come up with all the excuses, say it was player fatigue, that the coach made bad substitutions… I regret the injuries. How are we supposed to play football on a pitch like this? You can’t create anything. The team that was more fortunate did so through an individual play by a left-footed player who finished with his right foot. We had the same opportunities. It was a hard-fought match. The pitch looked like one used for a kickabout,’’ said Abel.

Bahia and Rogério Ceni’s response

On Bahia’s side, the criticism was answered with irony by coach Rogério Ceni. Although he acknowledged that the pitch was not in ideal condition, he said that this type of field hurt his team more.

“The color of the pitch really looked very ugly. But for Palmeiras, a bad pitch is better — they almost only play long balls. Most of their game is Weverton to Flaco or Vitor Roque. For us, it hurts more, because we build from the back. For those who play more on the ground, it’s worse. I think it disrupted us much more than them,” he began. “As for injuries, excuse me, but for someone who plays on synthetic turf to complain about injuries on natural grass, it doesn’t look good. And I’ll stop here, because we should value our win and not hide the opponent’s defeat behind a field that offered minimally acceptable conditions. Is it ideal? I agree it isn’t, but blaming muscle injuries on the pitch is going too far.”

Palmeiras are the outright leaders of the Brasileirão. Abel Ferreira’s team has 22 points from nine matches, compared to Fluminense’s 19 and Bahia’s 17. Verdão face the Bahia side in a match valid for the 10th round of the Brazilian Championship at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time) this Sunday.