Ref watch: controversial official gets São Paulo v Mirassol in Brasileirão | OneFootball

In the midst of a major crisis, São Paulo has yet another warning sign for its next match, since the referee appointed to officiate the clash against Mirassol on Saturday (25), in the Brasileirão, has a controversial history with Tricolor.

At a public hearing held at CBF headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo native Raphael Claus was chosen to lead the refereeing crew for São Paulo’s match as the home team, though it will be played at Brinco de Ouro in Campinas, since Morumbi will be occupied by concerts.

As the CBF usually states, the selection of referees is defined taking into account the stages of the competition, the importance and degree of complexity of each match, as well as the referees’ qualifications, physical condition, and technical performance.

The controversial Claus will have Anderson Jose de Moraes Coelho and Leandro Matos Feitosa as his on-field assistants, both also representing the state of São Paulo. In charge of the VAR booth will be Rodrigo Carvalhaes de Miranda from Rio de Janeiro.

HISTORY WITH TRICOLOR

Raphael Claus is known for being energetic in the way he handles matches and for not holding back on cards, especially red ones. One person who has already been punished by the referee’s strictness was former full-back and current director Rafinha, back when he was still a player, in São Paulo’s defeat to Palmeiras in October 2023 in the Brasileirão.

On that occasion, Rafinha was sent off for a hard foul on opposing forward Breno Lopes. In the match report, referee Raphael Claus described provocations from the experienced No. 13.

“You referee like hell, but I think you’re a Palmeiras fan,” the São Paulo captain allegedly said. As he left the field, the full-back was caught by TV cameras saying to someone: “Claus… Claus is a Palmeiras fan.” The fourth official, Lucas Canetto Bellote, also saw that moment and recorded it in the match report.

In this 2026 Brazilian Championship, Raphael Claus has not yet officiated any Tricolor matches. Let’s hope his name is not the center of attention in the clash against Mirassol in Campinas.

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