Raphael Claus continues to referee Flamengo x Botafogo, next Sunday, at Maracanã. Sought by GLOBO, the CBF claims not to have received the letter from the black and white requesting the removal of the referee from this classic and the club’s other games until the conclusion of the Senate’s CPI on the Manipulation of Games and Sports Betting.
And, even if the craft arrives, its presence is not threatened. The entity understands that there are no reasons for removal. He understands that complying with this request from Botafogo, without a more concrete basis, would set a precedent for all other clubs and lead to a stampede of similar requests.
Finally, the entity intends to preserve and support Raphael Claus, who was targeted by Textor in his crusade against alleged manipulation of results identified by the company he hired, the French company Good Game!.
In his statement to the commission, last Monday, Textor cited Claus’s alleged mistakes in Brazilian Championship games. The owner of SAF do Botafogo had already harshly criticized the referee after a match against Flamengo last year, which ended in a 2-1 victory.
At the time, on his social networks, the American businessman wrote: “Everyone saw it… you saw it too… shameful.” It alluded to a foul on Tchê Tchê that would have been ignored by Claus before one of his rival’s goals.
The arbitration schedule for the next round of the Brazilian Championship was released by the CBF precisely while Textor was providing clarifications to the CPI.
