Leila dismisses Bahia refereeing moans, jabs rivals at league meeting | OneFootball

The president of Palmeiras, Leila Pereira, pushed back against Bahia’s complaints about the refereeing in Sunday’s 2-1 victory in the Brazilian Championship. Coach Rogério Ceni and center back David Duarte complained about the play that led to Palmeiras’ second goal at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Bahia. The club president said the criticism was nothing more than excuses for the result.

“With Palmeiras, it’s always like this. Every time Palmeiras wins a match, there’s a scandal, it’s the refereeing, there’s always some reason why. We won a difficult game and there was no influence whatsoever from the refereeing. I’ve said many times that the president of Palmeiras does not complain about refereeing,” she said.

“In the Libertadores final, there was a very serious foul against us, which we believed warranted a red card. The president did not complain about the result at any point. I kept to myself. When Palmeiras wins, there’s always an excuse. And yesterday, we won a difficult game and there was no influence whatsoever from the refereeing,” she continued.

Another point raised by Leila was the difference in treatment regarding punishments handed to coaches, executives, and players. She directly cited coach Abel Ferreira, who is often warned on the touchline for criticizing refereeing decisions.

“My coach complains during the match and is punished, gets booked, misses the next game, and may be judged by the STJD. And the executives who complain and nothing happens? And coaches who complain in interviews and nothing happens? That’s unfair. My coach complains, but he is punished. I wish there were punishments for executives who disrespect the refereeing, players who show disrespect in interviews. Things should be more equal,” she said.

Leila takes a jab at rivals

Present at the CBF meeting on the creation of a football league in Brazil, the club president took aim at her rivals by criticizing the stance of some of them in decisions that should be made jointly.

“Palmeiras always moves forward with the aim of valuing the competition. Always with the view that Palmeiras does not play alone, is not the center of the universe, is not the Real Madrid of Brazil, nor of the Americas. There are other clubs that think they’re Real Madrid — maybe they are, but the Shopee version,” she jabbed.

“But to get there, you need to keep your feet on the ground and realize that no one is bigger than anyone else. We all need one another. That has always been Palmeiras’ mindset, at least under this president. I’ve never thought Palmeiras was bigger than any other club. I need the other clubs; we do not play alone,” she concluded.

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