Referee Felipe Fernandes de Lima was warned by the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) after the duel between Palmeiras and Fluminense on Wednesday night (25), in the fourth round of the Brazilian Championship, after the team started both halves of the match with possession of the ball.
“The Arbitration Commission of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) was made aware of what happened and the referee has already been duly warned,” the confederation said in a statement.
The duel held at Arena Barueri ended with Palmeiras winning 2-1, with all three goals scored in the first half. Vitor Roque opened the scoring from the penalty spot and Allan doubled it, with Luciano Acosta scoring for the visitors.
“The commission’s assessment is that the procedural error did not harm the game, as as soon as the match was restarted, Fluminense acquired possession of the ball and there was no disciplinary sanction, goal or immediately subsequent relevant fact”, added the CBF.
Fluminense defender, Argentine Juan Freytes stated after the match that he still tried to warn the referee about the mistake, without success.
“I noticed that Palmeiras left twice, but the referee told me that I couldn’t talk to him, as I would get booked again. I even shouted at him, but he didn’t listen and the game had already started again”, said the defender.
Palmeiras returns to the field on Sunday (1st), when they face São Paulo in the semi-finals of the Campeonato Paulista, at 8:30 pm (Brasília time), again in Barueri — Allianz Parque is unavailable to host matches due to the renovation of the synthetic pitch.
Fluminense will also face Vasco on Sunday, at 6pm, at Maracanã, in the return game of the Carioca semi-finals. In the first leg, the Tricolor das Laranjeiras won 1-0, with a goal from Colombian striker Kevin Serna.
