Controversial Penalties Define Weekend in Brazilian Football

RECIFE, Brazil — The Campeonato Brasileiro witnessed a stormy Matchday 2 over the weekend, highlighted by a controversial encounter in which Abel Ferreira’s Palmeiras emerged victorious against Sport Recife with a 2-1 scoreline, thanks to two penalty goals. The match, held on Sunday evening, raised questions about officiating standards in Brazilian football.

Both penalties were converted by José López and Joaquin Piquerez, while Chrystian Barletta scored for Sport, who equalized briefly during the clash. However, the focus quickly shifted to referee Bruno Arleu de Araújo’s decisions, which left Sports’ vice-president seething with anger. He stated, “I’m not going to debate with you whether it was a penalty or not. It wasn’t a penalty. What happened is a disgrace to Brazilian refereeing.”

The vice-president’s frustrations echoed the sentiments of many fans and commentators, who pointed out the apparent flaws in the use of video assistant refereeing (VAR). He added, “Brazil today imports coaches, Brazil today imports players. It’s time to import referees too, because the refereeing isn’t at the level of the championship.”

Pepa, former boss at Paços Ferreira, also expressed his disbelief regarding the officiating. “The VAR had a blackout today. And a big one,” he remarked. “I 100% agree with what was said here. We played a great game, eye to eye, two good teams. It leaves a feeling of great helplessness. I don’t like to talk about it. I was in disbelief.”

For Abel Ferreira, the victory was crucial after Palmeiras had begun their season with a lackluster goalless draw against Botafogo. In his post-match comments, he emphasized the challenges of Brazilian football, stating, “We have to win and look for a result, even when we don’t play so well. It’s very difficult to play at full strength here in Brazil. It’s like playing with your phone at 70%, 80% battery.”

Ferreira further elaborated on the demanding schedule teams face, saying, “Brazilian football is not for amateurs. There are a lot of games, little training, a lot of traveling. Let’s see how many teams can win here, this team will be hard work.”

Elsewhere in the league, Leonardo Jardim faced setbacks with his new club, Cruzeiro, who fell to Unión in Argentina and were trounced 3-0 by Internacional on Sunday, leaving Jardim with only one win from six matches. The latest match saw Cruzeiro reduced to ten men after twenty minutes, which proved catastrophic for Jardim’s side.

In contrast, Renato Paiva celebrated an important 2-0 win with Botafogo, pushing the team to fifth in the standings, while Pedro Caixinha’s Santos struggled, managing only a 2-2 draw against Bahia, leaving them with just one point from two matches.