CBF president slams treatment of Brazil squad in Bolivia: “Proper shambles” | OneFootball

The president of the CBF, Samir Xaud, criticized the treatment received by the Brazilian National Team this Tuesday in El Alto, at more than four thousand meters above sea level, during the last round of the South American Qualifiers for the World Cup.

Fighting for a spot in the World Cup playoffs, Bolivia treated the match against Brazil as a true decision and, therefore, created a very hostile atmosphere to intimidate the opponent, as if playing at more than four thousand meters above sea level to sap the opponents' stamina wasn't enough.

The ball boys ended up removing all the balls that should have been kept on the sidelines precisely to avoid delaying the restart in throw-ins. They also went as far as throwing balls onto the field to disrupt Brazil's dangerous plays.

Behind the scenes, the lack of policing also bothered the top management of the CBF, which feels it did not receive adequate support during the match in El Alto.

“It's sad what happened here today, we came to play football and what we saw since our arrival was anti-football. Even with the altitude, we played against the refereeing, against the police, against the ball boys removing balls from the field, throwing balls onto the field, a real mess. This is not what we expect for world football, nor for South American football,” said Samir Xaud in an interview with SporTV.

The controversial penalty awarded by referee Cristian Garay after a VAR review was also not well received by the CBF president.

“Playing at an altitude of more than four thousand meters, it's difficult to play football, especially against 14 men on the field [11 from Bolivia and three from the refereeing team]. I hope that Conmebol takes action, because we have everything recorded,” he continued.

“The police were rough with the entire team, technical staff. In Brazil, we welcome all teams very well, we embrace the teams, we make everything available to them, and when we go to play outside Brazil, especially here, the reception we get is absurd. I express my indignation and hope that Conmebol takes action. We will formalize everything,” he concluded.

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