Zona de Azar Brazil – Brazil: Referees’ Union Responds to ASA Accusations

Brazil.- 18th March 2025 www.zonadeazar.com Referees’ Union refutes ASA’s accusations about the Alagoano final. The organization states that the accusations of manipulation are unfounded and reaffirms its commitment to transparency and integrity of refereeing in Alagoas soccer.

SINDAFAL (Alagoas State Football Referees Union) issued an official statement on Sunday 16, repudiating the accusations made by ASA about the refereeing in the final of the 2025 Alagoano Championship. The match, which took place on Saturday 15, ended with CRB winning 2-1, guaranteeing the bicolor team its fourth state championship.

ASA was leading the match 1-0 until the final minutes, when CRB equalized in the 55th minute and turned the tie around in the 61st minute. The ASA board then challenged the validity of CRB’s first goal, alleging a touch on the arm of striker Anselmo Ramon, in addition to criticizing the 14 minutes of extra time initially granted by the referee, plus another three minutes added after CRB’s equalizer, totaling 17 minutes over regulation time. In response, SINDAFAL stated that the accusations are “unfounded and unfair”, and stressed that alleging match-fixing without evidence is a serious and disrespectful attitude towards professionals committed to the proper functioning of soccer.

The union also stressed that it is natural for there to be debates and divergent opinions on refereeing decisions, but that this does not justify frivolous accusations that jeopardize the credibility of the professionals involved.

Finally, SINDAFAL emphasized that referees from the state of Alagoas have been consistently recognized nationally, and have been selected for important matches such as the semifinals and finals of the Copa do Nordeste and other national championships.

The union also reinforced its commitment to transparency and the continued qualification of referees, but stressed that it cannot accept unfounded insinuations that cast doubt on the suitability of professionals.

The Alagoas Football Federation also commented on the case, stating that the VAR system was unstable during the match and that it will send the controversial plays to the national refereeing commission in search of an impartial and careful evaluation of the procedures adopted. The company responsible for the VAR claimed that a piece of equipment had a hardware problem due to the high temperature.

For its part, the ASA said it would take appropriate action to have the match annulled, alleging “premeditated manipulation of the result” and compromising the fairness of the competition. The club also expressed outrage at the refereeing performance, calling it “disgraceful” and a “real assault on soccer.”

Check out ASA’s statement in its entirety:

“Agremiação Sportiva Arapiraquense (ASA) turns to public opinion to express its total indignation at the shameful performance of the referees in the final of the Campeonato Alagoano, a real attack on soccer and the honest work of our team. What happened on the field was not only a mistake, but a clear and premeditated manipulation of the result, jeopardizing the fairness of the competition and tarnishing the history of soccer in Alago.

From the start of the match, the refereeing showed absurdly unequal criteria. The waiting time for the VAR analysis was flagrant: when the plays were against ASA, the review took long minutes, looking for any reason to harm our team. When the plays were in our favor, the decisions were made quickly and without the same rigor.

CRB’s first goal, incredibly validated, was scored with a clear touch on the arm, a crass error that should not even have been the subject of discussion, as the images are clear and indisputable. Even so, the referee ignored the scandalous play and confirmed an illegal goal, violating all the principles of sporting justice.

To this must be added the abusive extension, which cannot be justified. All limits were exceeded, which made clear their intention to interfere in the result. The criteria for adding time was clearly biased, exclusively prejudicing ASA and unacceptably favoring its opponents.

In view of the facts, we demand a rigorous investigation by the competent bodies. Soccer cannot be held hostage by referees who act in a targeted manner, jeopardizing the credibility of the sport and disrespecting clubs, players and, above all, the passionate fans who follow and invest their passion in our team.

ASA will not remain silent in the face of this injustice and clear MANIPULATION OF RESULTS. Therefore, it will take all appropriate measures to have this match ANNULLED and for episodes like this not to happen again. Soccer in Alagoas deserves respect, ASA and its immense fans deserve respect, and our institution will fight to the last consequences so that those responsible for this ASSAULT ON FOOTBALL are severely punished.

ASA Board of Directors”.

The CRB, meanwhile, won its 35th state title with the victory, the fourth consecutive final between the clubs, with Galo coming out on top in all of them. The team has not commented on the matter.

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Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com