Official statement | OneFootball

Santos Futebol Clube strongly repudiates the offensive statements made by the president of Clube do Remo against player Neymar Jr., as well as the insinuations of favoritism by the refereeing.

Sporting criticism is legitimate, but personal attacks and unfounded accusations go beyond the limits of respect and ethics. Santos FC will always defend its athletes, its history, and the integrity of the institution, in the name of transparency and the image of Brazilian football.

From the reception of Remo’s delegation at Vila Belmiro to the second match between the teams, Santos treated all members of the Pará club with respect, cordiality, and professionalism, an attitude it expected to see reciprocated.

Santos also once again expresses regret over the insinuations of favoritism by the refereeing. Any analysis of the refereeing team’s performance must take into account all the incidents in the match, including the kick that hit Gabriel Barbosa in the stomach and the elbow to defensive midfielder Samuel Pierri’s face, both in the second half.

More than raising baseless suspicions, Brazilian football needs to move forward in the debate on improving the qualification and professionalization of refereeing, an issue that concerns all the clubs involved.

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