Fluminense just lost 1-0 to Flamengo at the Maracanã in Round 30 of the Brasileirão, but the scoreline isn’t even half the story. The Tricolor Carioca came out swinging immediately after the derby, publishing an official statement on social media that *sharply criticized* referee Rafael Klein and VAR official Daniel Nobre Bins, who was in charge of the video review. It’s clear the club is absolutely furious about what they saw go down.
A Studs-Up Challenge That Went Unpunished
The Fluminense board’s main complaint? A brutal challenge on Rodrigo Castillo by Flamengo midfielder Erick Pulgar in the first half. Pulgar caught the Argentine striker’s knee with his studs, a move that Fluminense says “endangered the Fluminense player’s physical safety.” And what happened next is what really has the Laranjeiras club boiling. Referee Rafael Klein, who was apparently “well positioned to assess the incident,” chose not to issue the red card that the rules absolutely “required.” Even worse, VAR, led by Daniel Nobre Bins, “had every resource available to correct the error but chose to remain silent.” This isn’t just a missed call to Fluminense. Their official statement describes it as a “failure to act” and warns that “tolerating this kind of conduct encourages foul play.” They even posted a screenshot of the challenge and a photo of Castillo’s leg showing the marks from Pulgar’s studs. Seriously, how do you miss that?
Another “Clear Error” That Changed The Game
As if one massive screw-up wasn’t enough, Fluminense is also fuming over a second half penalty that they believe was clearly ignored. Flamengo’s Alex Sandro committed a foul on Savarino inside the penalty area. Fluminense’s statement says Sandro “made no attempt to play the ball” and simply “brought down the Fluminense player.” But again, nothing was given. Fluminense minced no words, stating that “failing to enforce the rules means changing the dynamics of a match and, consequently, influencing its result.” They’re not wrong, are they? Two clear errors in Brazil’s “biggest derby” and both went unpunished.
Fluminense is clearly not going to let this go, saying they “cannot allow” such rule failures to “change the dynamics of a match and, consequently, influencing its result.” This kind of direct, public criticism after Brazil’s “biggest derby” makes it clear where the Laranjeiras club stands. They’re demanding accountability for what they believe was a match marred by “two clear refereeing errors.” Protecting players’ physical safety, they argue, is the “very least expected” from those enforcing the rules. You gotta wonder what kind of response this public blast is going to get.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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