Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense has issued an official statement expressing indignation following an admission by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) regarding a refereeing error during the Gre-Nal derby against Internacional.
The error occurred during the first half of the match on Sunday, when referee Rodrigo Pereira de Lima failed to award a penalty to Grêmio after contact involving Bernabei and Diego Caito. While the CBF acknowledged the mistake during a meeting with Grêmio's refereeing consultant, Leonardo Gaciba, the club criticized the justification provided for the lack of VAR intervention.
According to reports, the VAR team, led by Caio Max Augusto Vieira, identified the infraction but did not recommend a review, citing a policy of “less refereeing, more football” to minimize interference in on-field decisions. Grêmio argued that this approach effectively legitimizes clear errors and deprives the club of a potential advantage in the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Entities
Confederação Brasileira de Futebol · Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense · Internacional · Leonardo Gaciba · Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima