CBF releases VAR audio on Flamengo red card v Corinthians | OneFootball

The 1-1 draw between Corinthians and Flamengo, held last Sunday at the Neo Química Arena, was marked by a series of controversies involving referee Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima. Among the most debated incidents was the sending off of Evertton Araújo, a player from the Rio de Janeiro team.

As usual, the CBF released the audio of the communication between the field referee and the VAR official, Wagner Reway, regarding the moment of the sending off. Initially, Rodrigo believed that the Flamengo player struck Breno Bidon's heel excessively, justifying the straight red card. However, in the video booth, Reway assessed the play differently, considering the infraction only worthy of a yellow card warning, as he understood there was a ball dispute with lateral contact and moderate intensity. Given this, he suggested a review of the play on the monitor.

Photo: Disclosure/Pernambuco Football Federation

Even after reviewing the play, the referee maintained his original decision, claiming that there was a locking of the boot on the Corinthians player's ankle – see the dialogue between the two refereeing professionals at the end of the article.

The sending off occurred seven minutes into the second half, when the score was already tied. Shortly after, at the 23rd minute, another situation sparked discussion: a possible penalty by Ayrton Lucas on André Luiz. Both the referee and the VAR, however, agreed that there was no infraction in the play.

After the end of the match, Corinthians' football executive, Marcelo Paz, expressed dissatisfaction with the refereeing. In a press conference, he criticized the performance of Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima and cited recent episodes in which, according to him, the club was also harmed by similar decisions.

In the match report, the referee stated he was the target of insults from two Corinthians employees. According to the document, Leonardo Carnevale, brand and new business manager, and Mauro van Basten, technical observer, allegedly directed insults at the refereeing team, requiring intervention from the Military Police to ensure access to the locker room.

On the Flamengo side, there were also complaints. Flamengo's executive, José Boto, criticized the management of the game and stated that matches of this level should have the "best referees," emphasizing that, in his view, the official in charge of the match does not fit into this group.

See the dialogue between Wagner Reway, responsible for VAR, and referee Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima:

Wagner Reway: “He grazed the heel. A red card is too harsh, because… foot to foot, lateral. I will recommend a review for a yellow card.”Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima: “I see that he goes for the ball, then goes over the top, makes the challenge, you understand?”Wagner Reway: “Did you see the point of contact?”Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima: “The point of contact is on top. He locks the boot on top of his ankle.”Wagner Reway: “I’m going to recommend a review, because he comes over the top, but it’s a lateral contact, on the side of the foot. He’s disputing the ball. He touches the ball and touches the tip of the heel at the back.”Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima already at VAR: “For me, he still locks the boot on the player’s leg.”Wagner Reway insists: “Let’s look at the point of contact, and then you can decide with no problem. He’s disputing the ball, and the point of contact is right here.” (shows the image)Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima: “Red card foul, because it hits the bottom part, ok? Not just underneath, it hits on top and underneath, ok? I’m going to keep the red.”

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