Fluminense described Chilean Erick Pulgar's tackle on striker Rodrigo Castillo as "unfair" and "a threat" in the derby that Flamengo won 1-0 this Sunday in Brazil. The tricolor club also criticized referee Rafael Klein and VAR (video assistant refereeing).
According to BioBioChile, the incident occurred 30 minutes into the first half. The Flamengo midfielder raised his foot while challenging for the ball and struck Castillo's right knee with his sole. Klein punished the challenge with only a yellow card.
According to Brazilian outlet ge, Fluminense's players requested a video review, but the officials ordered play to continue without going to the monitor.
The following day, the club published an official statement on its social media accounts. "We regret that, once again, Brazil's biggest derby has been marred by two clear refereeing errors," it wrote, describing the incident as "a violent tackle that put the tricolor player's physical safety at risk".
The statement maintained that Klein was well positioned and "chose not to issue the red card required by the rule". It described the failure to intervene by VAR, overseen by Daniel Nobre Bins, as more serious, saying it "had every resource available to correct the error and preferred to remain silent".
The second error reported by Fluminense, according to Cooperativa, was an unawarded penalty for Alex Sandro's challenge on Savarino. "The Flamengo player did not challenge for the ball at any point," the club alleged. The statement closed with a warning: failing to apply the rules means "influencing its outcome. And we cannot allow that".
Flamengo defended the refereeing decision. Coach Leonardo Jardim justified the yellow card and, laughing, used the club's press officer to demonstrate the incident. He argued that Pulgar made a natural movement to strike the ball and that a frontal collision does not have the same consequences as one from behind.
With the win, Flamengo remains top of the Brasileirao. There has been no information so far on whether the Chilean's tackle will face any disciplinary review.
