Braga v Benfica: referee at centre of controversy | OneFootball

The FPF Refereeing Council has appointed João Gonçalves for the Braga–Benfica match. According to information obtained, the body overseeing national football has released the list of referees chosen for the final round of 2025, with the main highlight being the absence of João Pinheiro.

The appointment of João Gonçalves raises some eyebrows, as he is the referee who was sanctioned after the mistake he made in the match between Santa Clara and Sporting in the league, in November, when he awarded a non-existent corner kick, which ended up resulting in the winning goal for Sporting.

As for the refereeing team that will be present at Pedreira, João Gonçalves will be the main referee, accompanied by Pedro Ribeiro and Tiago Costa as his assistants. Iancu Vasilica will be the fourth official, and VAR will be handled by Tiago Martins and Pedro Felisberto (AVAR).

In addition to the choice of João Gonçalves, the appointment of Tiago Martins is also not well received within Benfica, as his performance in the Portuguese Cup final, where he ignored Matheus Reis’ stamp on Andrea Belotti, is still fresh in memory.

It is worth noting that the match is scheduled for next Sunday, December 28, at the Estádio Municipal de Braga, where Benfica will close out the 2025 sporting year. This Friday, the Eagles return to training after two days off granted by José Mourinho.

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