Picture Credit: Twitter
Riot Police were forced to rush onto the field to protect the referee after a Brazilian Cup clash between Sergipe and Botafogo, took a violent turn. Sergipe was eliminated by Botafogo, after receiving three controversial corners.
The incident took place in Brazilian football’s fourth division tournament with Sergipe on the top until the 90th minute, where nine minutes of stoppage time were added. Here Botofogo, after failing to score in that period received a further 30 seconds for the corners. This led to the Rio de Janeiro-based club scoring an equaliser.
In the Brazilian Cup, if a draw occurs, the away side goes through. Hence, Sergipe was eliminated. Their President Ernan Sena, who seemed to be angry with the result, attacked referee Braulio da Silva with the corner flag. Hence riot police had to intervene.
Watch the video here:
Sergipe keeper Dida called Brazilian Football Association after the loss and said, "CBF, you are a disgrace. What he did here today was naughty!" while talking to Sportv. Players were also seen attacking Botafogo's coach Luis Castro."
However, addressing the game ESPN commentator Eugenio Leal reasoned why the extra time given wasn’t excessive, rather he argued that more time should have been added. He said, "Not counting the replacement times (which were already longer than usual), taking into account the delay for substitutions, assists and free kicks, the referee could have given 13 minutes of added time in the second half.
“There was very little ball rolling. And more… After 45, when nine minutes of additions were announced, there was at least another 3 minutes of stoppage for assistance or substitution. To be fair: the additions were not excessive", he said.
Download SportsTiger app for the latest sports news and updat es
