Young striker Gabigol completed a topsy turvy week last night when he was sent off playing for his club Santos after the final whistle. Incredibly, Gabriel did not realise that a red card had been brandished until told by a SporTV journalist as he left the pitch! In Brazil, it is commonplace for reporters to approach players for live interview as they approach the tunnel at half-time and full-time.
Santos’ bid for Copa Libertadores qualification took a blow as they went down to a 1-0 defeat against third placed Grêmio. Santos players remonstrated with the referee at the final whistle and Gabigol’s protests were a little too forceful for the referee’s liking, who duly gave him a red card. But Gabigol was unaware until a SporTV reporter asked him for his opinion on his sending off, "I didn’t see it, I was?" came the befuddled reply.
Teammate Renato was able to elaborate in an interview shortly after, "The referee said that he [Gabriel] used profanity, this was his statement. It was for complaining. There is no use whining now. Unfortunately we could not win. The referee said Gabriel offended. It is a lesson." Gabigol will now wait to see the length of his ban, depending on the referee’s report. In Brazil, complaining to a referee is an automatic yellow card offence even without profanity, other than in the case of the team captain.
It’s been a mixed week for Gabigol who earlier in the week scored twice and assisted another as Brazil’s U-23 team defeated Haiti 5-1 in Manaus. He also scored in the 6-1 demolition of the Dominican Republic four days earlier. He will certainly miss Santos’ league encounter with Goías on Sunday.
