SAO PAULO-. He coach of Vasco da Gama of Rio de Janeiro, the Argentine Ramón Díazquestioned this Wednesday that “a woman” is in charge of the VAR, a statement that has sparked controversy in Brazil for its “macho” character.
“He soccer It is different, and mainly that the VAR has to be decided by a woman seems quite complicated to me,” Pelado said at a press conference in the city of Bragança Paulista (southeast), about one hundred kilometers from Sao Paulo.
The award-winning technical director, 64 years old, gave the statement at the end of his team's defeat (2-1) against Red Bull Bragantino, for the second round of the Brasileirao.
Amid criticism of the level of Brazilian refereeing, Díaz questioned the decision of the person in charge of the VAR, FIFA judge Daiane Muniz, not to sanction a possible penalty in favor of Vasco on Sunday in the league debut, in which they won 2-1 to the Porto Alegre Guild in Rio.
Then, Chilean midfielder Pablo Galdames claimed a foul inside the area by defender Rodrigo Ely, of the 'gaúcho tricolor'. Muniz initially considered that there was an infraction, but then changed his mind and did not call the center back Flavio Rodrigues de Souza to review the play.
Díaz apologized minutes later in front of journalists and assured that his statement, considered “sexist” by several local media and social media users, could have been misinterpreted.
“What I wanted to say is that a single person cannot decide, have a decision as important (…) as the participation of the VAR,” he said outside the Nabi Abi Chedid stadium.
In a message on his account on the social network
“We apologize, as does our coach,” he said.
