Dorival Júnior slams refereeing after Corinthians loss, cites inconsistency

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Central do Timão

·6 de noviembre de 2025

Dorival Júnior slams refereeing after Corinthians loss, cites inconsistency

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians lost to Red Bull Bragantino 2-1 in the 32nd round of the Brasileirão, in a match played at Estádio Municipal Cícero de Souza Marques, but the refereeing ended up being the main protagonist of the game. In the post-match press conference, coach Dorival Júnior fired criticisms at the performance of Edina Alves and her team.

“We are being repetitive, redundant. What’s happening is that the refereeing is stealing the spotlight from the athletes, who are the stars of the show. There is no consistency. And it’s not that there’s no consistency between referees, there’s no consistency within the same match. This has made things difficult for many, not just Corinthians.”, complained the coach.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

“It was impressive what we witnessed here today. What are you going to do? Is it just the loser’s whining? This week it was us, next week it will be Bragantino, then Palmeiras, then Santos… We’re not asking for anything more than consistency and there is none. It’s very simple. Was it a penalty? Does everyone agree there was a penalty? Was it? And the play in the second half, one minute in, on Yuri Alberto? What was the criterion for the last play of the match?”, he continued.

“We can’t accept this anymore. We’re taking the focus off what matters, which is football, and only discussing refereeing—it’s horrible for everyone. We have to change, otherwise we’ll be lamenting all the time.”, Dorival Júnior went on.

Timão had José Martínez and Charles sent off, while André Carrillo received his third yellow card. As a result, all three will be unavailable for the team’s next Brasileirão fixture. The coach highlighted how refereeing decisions like these have interfered with the season’s progress and also criticized the lack of consistency from the referee in managing the match.

“It already hurt us today because in a similar play, she (Edina) stopped a corner in our favor. Gustavo Henrique and a Bragantino player, whose name I can’t recall now, were holding each other and she gave instructions about it. Immediately, in the next play, she pulls out a yellow card (for Martínez). Again: what was the criterion? What do we understand from the refereeing? What’s correct: to talk and instruct or to act as she did (give the card)?”, said Dorival.

“The team was recovered, rested, and ready for a great game. I want to make it very clear that I’m not shirking our responsibilities, but the way the match was conducted from the first minute, I’m sorry, but there’s no way to properly assess a result like this.”, he added.

When asked how he could control his players’ emotional instability, Dorival Júnior pointed out that controversial refereeing decisions inflame tempers and defended his players.

“In the heat of the match, it’s very hard to control yourself. If she (Edina) had stopped the play (referring to Charles’ sending off) at the moment the Bragantino player continued, if she had taken a firmer stance, none of that would have happened. The Martínez incident, I just mentioned.”, he said.

“There was guidance in the previous play. There is no consistency, and that’s what makes things complicated and difficult for all professionals. The other day I saw a coach sent off because of a refereeing mistake. There’s emotional instability and, in the next moment, he ends up being sent off. It’s not simple. One day you all need to be down there in that area to see how things work.”, the coach continued.

The Corinthians manager acknowledged that there is a lot of pressure on refereeing in Brazil, but called for educational improvement so that criteria are applied equally. Dorival also explained what happened after the final whistle, when he chose not to greet Edina Alves, and said he did not talk to Bragantino players or staff about the refereeing.

“I know and understand that refereeing is under a lot of pressure here in our country, I get that. They’re pressured by all of us. We can’t ignore and must recognize our own faults. But education is part of any circumstance or situation. Education based on guidance and defining criteria, that to me is a fundamental starting point for us to have a way forward.”, he commented.

“We don’t want anything different, but the criteria are different within each match. There’s a lack of control because of the changes (in criteria) in each game, it’s very hard for players, coaches, for those on the bench. The reactions are due to the lack of consistent criteria.”, the coach continued.

“I didn’t talk to anyone from Bragantino about this, I just went there (at the end of the game) to get my players. I said I wouldn’t greet her because of everything that happened during the match. Was it rude? Maybe, but that was my feeling and it was a very unpleasant sensation at that moment.”, he went on.

“As for the game itself, it was very hard-fought. But the lack of consistency prevented a better observation of the match. I congratulate Bragantino for the result, I don’t take away their merits, but I believe Corinthians did enough to achieve a better result than today’s.”, concluded Dorival Júnior.

The Corinthians coach also explained the decision to bring on Angileri after Raniele’s injury instead of another midfielder. Dorival also chose not to publicly analyze the Argentine defender and pointed out that any necessary corrections will be made in training.

“So we wouldn’t break what we were doing in the match. In the previous game we played with a third man, precisely Angileri, who did very well. Today, we used Raniele. We have three games in a week, which makes it tough. The choice at the time was to keep doing what we’d been doing, nothing different from the previous game.”, he said.

“I don’t do that, I’ve already told you. Corrections and adjustments are made in training sessions, where you look for positive feedback for certain players. I rarely talk about players. Even when they stand out, I’m very succinct in my observations. My dealings are with them individually and not in such an open way.”, the coach concluded.

Corinthians will be back on the field next Sunday (9). Dorival Júnior’s team will face Ceará in the 33rd round of the Brazilian Championship, at 4pm (Brasília time), at Neo Química Arena.

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