São Paulo midfielder Damián Bobadilla has been formally charged by the Brazilian Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) for an obscene gesture made during the celebration of his team’s first goal against Corinthians.
The incident was initially reviewed by the video assistant referee (VAR), but the on-field referee, Anderson Daronco, decided not to issue a yellow or red card. However, the STJD prosecutor’s office found the gesture in violation of Article 258 of the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice (CBJD), which penalizes actions contrary to sports ethics. Bobadilla now faces a potential suspension of one to six matches.
Prosecutors argued that the gesture was indeed obscene. “The fact that the athlete did or did not touch his genitalia does not remove the sexual and disrespectful nature of the act committed by the São Paulo player,” read an excerpt from the complaint, signed by prosecutor Eduardo Ximenes.
In addition to Bobadilla, Corinthians was also charged for incidents during the match. The home team faces sanctions for throwing objects onto the pitch during the celebration of that same São Paulo goal. Another violation involved the throwing of paper rolls onto the field, which delayed the restart of the match. Both incidents fall under Article 213 (disorder in the sports venue).
Corinthians could also be fined for the gray jersey worn by goalkeeper Hugo Souza, which caused visual confusion on the pitch.
