Tricolor from São Paulo pressured the entity to publish the referees’ speeches, but the Brazilian Football Confederation claims that it needed FIFA’s authorization to release the dialogues.
The Brazilian Football Confederation () released, this Thursday (9), the audios of conversations between the field referee and the video referee (VAR) referring to four controversial moves from the classic between and , held on Sunday (5) and won by the Alviverde team 3-2. The release of the material occurred after pressure from São Paulo and authorization from FIFA, as the moves were classified as “without review protocol” — that is, there was no check on the field monitor.
Dialogues between the main referee, Ramon Abatti Abel, and the person responsible for VAR, Ilbert Estevam da Silva, confirmed that, in all cases, the on-field decision was maintained by the video booth. However, the CBF National Arbitration Commission recognized a procedural error in the main bid claimed by São Paulo, which resulted in the removal of both professionals for a period of recycling.
Bids and conversations disclosed
São Paulo’s main complaint was a move in the area in which Allan (Palmeiras) slipped and knocked down Tapia (São Paulo). The field referee, Ramon Abatti Abel, was categorical in his initial decision, stating over the communicator that there was no penalty.
“Slipped, slipped, the player slips, and they’re both looking at the ball! Go ahead! There’s no input here,” said the referee. VAR Ilbert Estevam da Silva agreed, confirming that the contact was “completely accidental”, caused by the Palmeiras player slipping, and that the ball “was not for either of the two athletes”.
Three other moments questioned by the Tricolor club had their audios released:
- Entry by Andreas Pereira: São Paulo questioned the yellow card given to Andreas Pereira in a play over the leg of Marcos Antônio (São Paulo). The field referee justified that the player stepped on the ball and the sole caught it later. The VAR checked the move, observing that the player touched the ball, and maintained the field decision.
- Gustavo Gómez’s stomp in Tapia: In a dispute, Gustavo Gómez touched Tapia, who fell to the lawn. The VAR booth carried out a check for a possible red card, but the field referee and the VAR considered that the stomp was “unintentional”, occurred during the dispute and with the Palmeiras player off balance, maintaining the non-warning.
- Gómez’s arm on Tapia: In a tackle on the baseline, Gustavo Gómez’s arm hit Tapia’s face, which caused him to bleed. VAR analyzed the move and concluded that it was “completely accidental”. According to the cabin, the contact occurred when the Palmeiras player went to get up, without there being “any additional gesture, no elbow action”.
In all checks, the VAR agreed with the decisions made on the field by Ramon Abatti Abel and, therefore, did not call him for review on the monitor. Palmeiras, which also complained about moves in the match, did not request the release of the audios.
