Coluna do Fla
·30 Juli 2026
Refereeing expert ‘exposes favour’ to Palmeiras in the Brasileirão

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Yahoo sportsColuna do Fla
·30 Juli 2026

Palmeiras’ 4-0 win over Vitória on Wednesday (29), in the 21st round of the Brasileirão, was marked by refereeing controversy. As a result, specialist Paulo Caravina, from the Mato Grosso Football Federation, identified two incidents that favored the green-and-white side, which pulled further ahead at the top of the tournament.
– What an absurd situation at Barradão tonight in the Brasileirão (…) The first controversial moment involved the scorer of the São Paulo team’s first goal, Maurício, who, before finding the net, struck Cacá in the chin with his elbow -, Caravina said, adding:
– It is clear that the player tries to use his arm to protect himself, but he makes an additional movement to block the defender’s path and hits him hard in the chin, even cutting the area -, he stated.
Caravina made it clear that the lack of intent does not remove the recklessness of the play. The additional movement makes the use of excessive force evident. Therefore, the incident should have been considered serious foul play, which means a red card. VAR should indeed have recommended a review to send off Maurício.
– Unlike the elbow that landed squarely on the defender’s chin, the studs only grazed the São Paulo player’s shin. The referee was wrong not to call the foul and not to show a yellow card to the Bahia team player -, the specialist pointed out, adding:
– However, the video officiating, which was supposed to be less interventionist from the second half of the season onward, made an even more serious mistake by recommending a review for a clear yellow-card play. To make matters worse, after checking the monitor, the referee sent off the defender -, he noted.
Flamengo slipped up and could only draw against Internacional. So, the combination of results increased the gap to eight points between the leader and the runner-up in the Brasileirão. As a result, Vitória also left the round feeling wronged.
It is regrettable to see that the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) invests in refereeing, brings in more technology, and keeps payments up to date. But none of that helps while referee selections are driven by politics – Caravina said, adding: In Brazil, it is no longer the best who go furthest, but those who are appointed. Alex Stefano was the choice of the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation (FERJ) and should join the FIFA panel after Wilton Pereira Sampaio’s departure. Unfortunately, those who love football are the ones who pay the price -, he said.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
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