😯 Abel to press after qualifying: I lost a Libertadores on a call like that

😯 Abel to press after qualifying: I lost a Libertadores on a call like that On Sunday (8), Palmeiras reached the 2026 Copa do Brasil final after knocking out Vasco at São Januário. Verdão are also in the Conmebol Libertadores final against Estudiantes and sit second in the Brasileirão with four rounds remaining. But despite an extremely positive year, which also saw Palmeiras win the São Paulo state championship at the start of the season, coach Abel Ferreira has not forgotten the 2025 Libertadores final. The Portuguese coach's frustration stems from an incident in which defensive midfielder Erick Pulgar caught Bruno Fuchs on the shin in a challenge but received only a yellow card. Palmeiras ultimately finished runners-up in the continental tournament after losing 1–0 to Flamengo, with Danilo scoring the winner. Still remembering that incident, Abel Ferreira made a point of challenging the press after Verdão reached the Copa do Brasil final. That was because, 20 minutes into the match at São Januário, Gabriel Pereira caught Jhon Arias on the shin and was not sent off either. Add to that the coverage surrounding the penalty Vasco were not awarded in the first leg at Nubank Parque for a handball by Barboza. "I practically made a promise to myself that I wouldn't talk about refereeing, but I will talk about the press. I want to see whether the press will cover the Arias incident the way they covered the Barboza incident. That's all I want to see. I lost a Libertadores title over an incident like this. I lost a Libertadores title over an incident like this." "I'll avoid talking about the referee. I'm asking whether the press will cover the same incident the way they covered Barboza's. Did anyone talk about the Remo game there? Because it was disallowed and shouldn't have been disallowed. I've realized I should avoid talking about refereeing." This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.