Saúl loses his cool over Brazilian refereeing, compares it to Europe

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Coluna do Fla

·19 novembre 2025

Saúl loses his cool over Brazilian refereeing, compares it to Europe

What did Saúl say about Brazilian refereeing?

Saúl Ñíguez joined Flamengo in the last transfer window of 2025. Despite the short time, the midfielder is already getting used to the 'particularities' of Brazilian football. The Spaniard even harshly criticized the refereeing in national championships.

— Yes, very much (Brazil is behind in the level of refereeing). Very, very, very much. Especially in refereeing, everything is very different there (in Europe). Very different. The level here is much lower than in all of Europe -, he said, before concluding:

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— Not in Spain, because I also don't say they have the best referees, but in the Champions League, in England, the referees let the game flow. These are things you can't imagine happening in Brazil. It makes no sense at all -, concluded Saúl, in an interview with ‘Lance!’.

How is the refereeing in the Brasileirão?

Refereeing has been one of the main topics throughout the Brazilian Championship in 2025. This is because referees have been at the center of various controversies throughout the tournament. Not surprisingly, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) promised a restructuring of the sector for the next year.

Thus, last Sunday (16), Flamengo issued an official statement congratulating the CBF for the initiative. In addition to adopting training for national referees, the entity hired psychologists to support the professionals.

The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo publicly values the actions promoted by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), under the leadership of President Samir Xaud, to raise the standard of refereeing in the country. The club considers that the gathering of national referees for intensive training periods, conducted since October by the entity at Granja Comary, is an initiative that is already showing results. Flamengo believes that continuous, in-person training contributes to improving referees' performance and reducing the rate of errors in matches. Moreover, the support of psychologists and attention to mental health have been fundamental for decision-making in this extremely pressured moment, which is the final stretch of the championships. The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo recognizes that such actions represent an important step in the process of professionalizing refereeing, a central theme of the meeting held last Monday (11/10), which was attended by several clubs and signaled a path of greater structure, clarity, and responsibility for the sector. The club congratulates the CBF board, in the person of President Samir Xaud, as well as the Refereeing Commission, chaired by Rodrigo Cintra, for their willingness to promote concrete advances, a fundamental element for the continuous development of the sport,” said Flamengo.

What is Mengão's next game?

Meanwhile, Flamengo will face Fluminense this Wednesday (19). The match kicks off at 9:30 PM (Brasília time) at Maracanã, in a game valid for the 34th round of the Brazilian Championship .

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will bring all the details about the match through YouTube, the website, and social media. However, Premiere (pay-per-view) will broadcast the Flamengo vs Fluminense game.

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