Botafogo owner Textor accused referees of ‘corruption’ in 4-3 loss against Palmeiras

Botafogo owner John Textor accused officials of “corruption” when his team surrendered a 3-0 lead against Palmeiras in the Brazilian Serie A.

In the first half, the home side surged ahead with goals from Carlos Eduardo, Danilo Neves, and Junior Santos, establishing a 3-0 lead. However, Palmeiras initiated a comeback early in the second half, with Real Madrid-bound Endrick igniting the turnaround with a stunning solo goal in the 49th minute.

The two teams remained evenly matched until Adryelson received a red card following an extensive VAR review. Reduced to 10 men, Botafogo collapsed in the final minutes of the match, with the visitors scoring three goals after the 84th minute, led by Endrick once again.

Textor was irate about the red card decision, and he descended from his presidential box to the pitchside, allegedly making a money sign gesture to the match officials. He then expressed his frustration on live television, demanding the resignation of the referees and CBF President Ednaldo Rodrigues.

Botafogo owner calls Brazilian Serie A a ‘joke’

“This is corruption, this is theft,” he said while speaking with the Sportv. “The whole world saw it, this is not a red card. He (Adryelson) got the ball first. I’m not even sure if it was a foul. But it’s not a red card, he changed the game. This is corruption, this is theft. Please fine me, Ednaldo, but you need to resign tomorrow morning. That’s what needs to happen.

“This championship has become a joke. Nobody deserves this, these Palmeiras players don’t want to win like that, we don’t want to lose like that. It’s been five games in a row. This is f*cking corruption. This has to change. The referee has to resign for the good of the game. It has to be over now. This is theft. Fine me. You can red card me, it’s my stadium, I’ll still be here.”

Botafogo had a chance to net their fourth goal and potentially disrupt Palmeiras’ comeback. However, Tiquinho Soares failed to convert a penalty, which could have had a significant impact on the game. Despite the setback, Botafogo maintains their position at the top of the league with 59 points from 30 games. Nevertheless, they have lost their last three league matches, leading to a narrowing gap with second-placed Palmeiras, which now stands at three points.