November 3 – The Brazilian Confederation of Football (CBF) will reportedly threatening legal action against Botafogo owner John Textor who accused the governing body of corruption in a touchline rant following his club’s dramatic 4-3 defeat to Palmeiras.
Textor (pictured) demanded that CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues resign.
League leaders Botafogo were leading the Sao Paulo club 3-1 with minutes to go but ended up losing the match and points that may be crucial in the race for the league title.
The referee sent off Adryelson following a VAR review after the Botafogo player prevented a clear-cut opportunity for Palmeiras when he brought down Breno Lopes.
In a media interview after the full-time whistle, Textor lost his cool.
“It’s not a red card, this changed the game. This is theft, this is corruption. Please, fine me, Ednaldo [Rodrigues], but you need to resign tomorrow morning. That’s what needs to happen. This championship has become a joke, no one deserves this. Not even the players from Palmeiras want to win like this and we don’t want to lose like that,” said a heated Textor.
Brazilian media reported that the CBF is going to respond with legal action against Textor, but the CBF have not confirmed this. Instead, the CBF drew focus to the fact that it will host the Conmebol Congress on Friday with FIFA president Gianni Infantino and UEFA president Alexander Ceferin in attendance.
Botafogo are seeking to win their first Brazilian league title since 1995, but the club’s form has slumped since the departure of manager Luis Castro with just two wins from their last ten matches.
With seven rounds of matches remaining until the end of the season, Botafogo retain a three-point lead over Palmeiras with a game in hand.
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