Coluna do Fla
·16 de outubro de 2025
Arrascaeta on Brazilian football: message to “star” referees

In partnership with
Yahoo sportsColuna do Fla
·16 de outubro de 2025
Despite the win over Botafogo, Flamengo left Estádio Nilton Santos with complaints on Wednesday (15). Captain Arrascaeta, for example, took to social media to state that players are no longer the protagonists of matches.
“What a moment Brazilian football is going through. Players are ceasing to be the protagonists,” highlighted Arrascaeta in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The post came just a few hours after the final whistle of the 28th round of the Brasileirão.
See Arrascaeta’s post:
At 35 minutes of the first half, when the derby was still tied 0–0, Luiz Araújo suffered a very clear stamp on his foot inside the box. VAR, however, ignored the play and let it go.
Besides Arrascaeta, sporting director José Boto and coach Filipe Luís criticized the lack of consistency in refereeing. However, midfielder Jorginho and center-back Léo Pereira believe this is not the time to worry about officials.
After thrashing Botafogo, Flamengo hopes the players will be the protagonists on Sunday (19), against Palmeiras, in the clash of the leaders of the Brasileirão. The ball rolls from 4 p.m. (Brasília time) at the Maracanã, with full coverage by Coluna do Fla.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.