Controversial ref who gave Palmeiras penalty to officiate São Paulo v Grêmio | OneFootball

After the huge refereeing controversy in the derby between São Paulo and Palmeiras, the incredible coincidences of life have pointed to a referee for Tricolor’s next match in the Brasileirão, against Grêmio, this Thursday (16), who promises to generate a lot of discussion.

Mr. Davi de Oliveira Lacerda, 29 years old, from Espírito Santo, was appointed for the match between the Tricolors this week, in a public hearing held this afternoon, especially at Granja Comary, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), with the presence of Marcelo van Gasse, vice-president of the CBF refereeing committee.

This is the same referee who awarded an incredible penalty in favor of Palmeiras in the match against Juventude, this Saturday (11), in a delayed round of the Brasileirão. The play, this time, unlike in the Choque-Rei, was reviewed in the VAR booth and correctly overturned. Watch below:

This year, Lacerda has already officiated two São Paulo matches in the competition: a 2-2 draw with Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro, and a 3-1 win over Fluminense at Morumbi.

ALREADY GENERATED A NOTE OF REPUDIATION

But the referee’s controversies have followed him this year. In the semifinal of the Campeonato Capixaba, between Desportiva Ferroviária and Rio Branco, the refereeing team ignored two questionable penalty incidents, even after VAR review.

Feeling wronged, Desportiva protested and issued a note of repudiation against the Football Federation (FES), accusing referee Davi Lacerda of having a passionate connection with Rio Branco, since he had played for the rival team in the youth divisions.

“The referee’s stance in the face of mistaken decisions and the non-use of VAR caused us immense strangeness, since evidence and proof of professional and passionate ties between him and the rival team, which was favored in the cited incidents, were presented,” the statement said.

Later, already in a match for the 6th round of the 2025 Brasileirão, the referee from Espírito Santo also caused outrage by not awarding a penalty in the match between Atlético-MG and Mirassol.

Midfielder Gustavo Scarpa was brought down inside the opponent’s box, but the referee did not call a foul. Called by VAR to review the play, Lacerda pointed to a foul by the Atlético player at the start of the move, thus ruling out a possible penalty for the team from Minas Gerais.

The referee’s decision caused great outrage among Atlético fans, and many protests from the supporters. Now, with referees under the spotlight after so many recent mistakes, including against São Paulo, we hope his name won’t be the main attraction in the clash against Grêmio.

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