Botafogo owner John Textor has cried “corruption” from officials after his side squandered a 3-0 lead against Palmeiras in Brazil’s Serie A.
The home side had a brilliant first half leading 3-0 thanks to goals from Carlos Eduardo, Danilo Neves and Junior Santos. However, Palmeiras hit back early in the second half, with Real Madrid player Endrick sparking the comeback by scoring an incredible solo goal in the 49th minute.
The two teams went tit for tat until Adryelson received a red card for a foul, following a thorough VAR review. Botafofgo, reduced to 10 men, capitulated in the final minutes of the match, with the visitors scoring three times after the 84th minute and Endrick once again leading the charge.
Textor, furious at the red card decision, came down onto the pitch from his presidential stand and reportedly waved money to match officials. He then expressed his anger live on television, demanding the resignation of the referees and the president of the CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues.
“It’s corruption, it’s theft”he declared on the microphone of Sportv. “The whole world saw it, it’s not a red card. He (Adryelson) had the ball first. I’m not even sure there was a fault. But it’s not a red card, it changed the course of the game. It’s corruption, it’s theft. Please forgive me, Ednaldo, but you must resign tomorrow morning. That’s what you should do.
“This championship has become a joke. Palmeiras players don’t want to win like that, we don’t want to lose like that. That’s five matches in a row. This is fucking corruption. It has to change. The referee must resign for the good of the game. We must end this now. This is theft. Fine me. You can give me a red card, it’s my stadium, I’ll always be here.”
Botafogo had the opportunity to score their fourth goal and end Palmeiras’ resurgence. But Tiquinho Soares missed a penalty that could have changed the game. Botafogo remain top of the league with 59 points from 30 matches, but they have lost their last three league outings, meaning the gap to second-placed Palmeiras has narrowed to three points.
