Brazilian football has experienced one of its most forceful disciplinary episodes in terms of discrimination. Red Bull Bragantino defender Gustavo Marques was sanctioned with a 12-match suspension and a financial fine after making sexist comments against referee Daiane Muniz at the end of a match in the Paulista championship.
The punishment was imposed by the Sao Paulo State Sports Court after the controversy generated after the quarter-final match of the state tournament between Sao Paulo FC and Red Bull Bragantino, played on February 21 and which ended with a 2-1 victory for the Sao Paulo side. After the match, the defender questioned the refereeing appointment and said that “a woman should not be put in charge of a match of that size“, words that generated a strong reaction in Brazilian football.
The court based its decision on articles that sanction offenses against honor and discriminatory acts, thus creating jurisprudence and serving as a relevant precedent in the fight against discriminatory behavior within soccer in the country.
After the controversy, Marques, who is on loan at Bragantino from Portuguese side Benfica, publicly apologised and also went to the referees’ dressing room to personally apologise to Muniz. The player acknowledged that his remarks were inappropriate and tried to defuse the tension generated by the incident.
In addition to the court sanction, Red Bull Bragantino itself adopted internal measures against the player. The club decided to fine him 50% of his monthly salary and leave him out of the squad for the next match. The money raised will be donated to an organization that works with women in vulnerable situations in the Bragança Paulista region.
The case has reopened the debate about sexism in Brazilian football and the need to strengthen disciplinary measures to protect equality and respect in professional sport.
What did Marques say?
After the conclusion of the match, Gustavo Marques was outspoken, perhaps as a result of the frustration of having lost the tie. The unfortunate and penalised comments were immortalised live and leave no room for doubt:
“It doesn’t make sense for us to play against São Paulo, Palmeiras or Corinthians and put a woman to referee a match of this size.”
“I don’t think she was honest about what she did. Sao Paulo has all the credit for their shirt and their tradition, but I think she leaned towards them. It was our dream to reach the semi-final or even the final, but she ruined our match.”
“The Paulista Federation has to look at matches of this magnitude and not put a woman in charge. I have all the respect for women… but she does not have the ability to adapt to a match like this.”
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