Fluminense v 2-0 São Paulo, and this match is currently under review, as São Paulo has made a request for annulment of the match valid for the 25th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro, which will be reassessed next Friday at the Superior Court of Sport Justice (STJD). The tricolor club claimed that referee Paulo Cesar Zanovelli made a legal error by invalidating the first goal, which secured the victory for Fluminense.
The STJD has already scheduled a new hearing to reconsider São Paulo's annulment request, set for October 11, after the initial discussion that took place on September 26 was postponed.
The controversy revolves around a play where Thiago Silva from Fluminense allegedly handled the ball prior to scoring a goal, which was contested by São Paulo. The referee, Paulo Cesar Zanovelli, initially called a foul and, after consulting VAR, decided to play advantage and validated the goal. This situation sparked intense debates between the clubs, with the president of Fluminense, Mário Bittencourt, and the president of São Paulo, Júlio Casares, openly discussing the match held at Maracanã, which remains a controversial topic in Brazilian football.
Additionally, two other auditors rejected the acceptance of the action, claiming that São Paulo submitted the request beyond the 48-hour deadline, as established by the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice (CBJD).
São Paulo contested the validity of the goal scored by Fluminense. They argued that referee Paulo Cesar Zanovelli made a mistake by validating the first goal. According to São Paulo, there was a foul prior to the goal that opened the scoring for the Rio team’s 2-0 victory.
At the time, Zanovelli called the foul after a confrontation between Calleri and Thiago Santos, but ignored the handball by Thiago Silva. The player stated that the play was an infraction, but the refereeing decided to call for a free kick. Shortly after, Caoan Elias scored the first goal.
Referee Suspended
The referee was suspended for 15 days as a consequence. Last Thursday, Zanovelli stated that the issue was one of communication, not rules. He emphasized that, due to the intensity of the match, he made an error in communicating with VAR.
“(The rules) did not fail, but I could improve my communication, and that applies to everyone. I should have said: 'I authorized it.' The communication failed. Sometimes we are running, adrenaline is high, and that word might be missing. But I cannot stop running, and I cannot deny the feeling of fairness,” said the referee.
This process resulted in mutual criticisms between Fluminense and São Paulo. Following Mário Bittencourt's statement, president of the Rio club, questioning the annulment request, Júlio Casares, president of São Paulo, made jokes about the complaints.
