José Boto questions refereeing after São Paulo v Palmeiras: "Doesn’t smell right"

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·6 de octubre de 2025

José Boto questions refereeing after São Paulo v Palmeiras: "Doesn’t smell right"

Flamengo's football director José Boto has further heated the discussion about the refereeing of the Brazilian Championship. In a forceful statement, the director mentioned that CBF needs to speak out after the controversies that occurred in this Sunday's classic between São Paulo and Palmeiras, at Morumbis.

The performance of the referee Ramon Abatti Abel was considered disastrous by Tricolor, who complained about a penalty on striker Tapia and the non-expulsion of Palmeiras' Andreas Pereira. Defeated by Bahia in the round, Flamengo lost the leadership of the Brasileirão to Palmeiras.

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Flamengo's Criticisms

Boto highlighted the club's dissatisfaction with what it considers a sequence of errors and lack of criteria.

"Everything that happens on other fields is shameful. We try to talk to the CBF, with the president, with the president of the Refereeing Commission, but it remains the same. What happens raises suspicions," said the director. "The referee who harmed us on Thursday (against Cruzeiro) was rewarded by going to referee our rival and did what he did," he added.

Pressure Environment in the Brasileirão

José Boto's statements reinforce the pressure atmosphere on the refereeing in the final stretch of the Brasileirão 2025, especially after repeated controversies. Flamengo, which will try to recover the lost leadership, sees the issue of referees as another obstacle in its fight for the title.