Santos football executive Alexandre Mattos said the club will submit a formal complaint to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) after what he called serious refereeing errors in the team’s last two matches. He also said Santos had already contacted the governing body to request a different approach toward the club.
Santos lost to Red Bull Bragantino on Monday in Bragança Paulista and protested the decision not to award a second-half penalty after an incident involving Rony. Mattos criticised referee Edina Alves Batista, who officiated the match. Cuca also complained about the decision, while Santos players posted about it on social media.
Mattos also pointed to the previous week’s derby against Palmeiras, referring to a possible second yellow card for left-back Piquerez and a penalty appeal. He said the events left Santos dissatisfied, but added that the team must focus on correcting its own performance rather than using refereeing decisions as an excuse.
Regarding the incident involving Rony, referee analyst PC Oliveira said Edina was wrong not to award a foul. Mattos suggested the referee may have left the decision to VAR, which he said could have judged the incident as a field-of-play call.
Sources: Globo Esporte.