Esporte Clube Vitória's president, Fábio Mota, and forward Erick have been suspended by the Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva (STJD) following a judgment on complaints against refereeing. The sanctions come after the Bahian rubro-negro's 3-1 defeat to Athletico-PR in the 13th round of Série A, where club members expressed strong dissatisfaction with on-field decisions.

Fábio Mota received a 30-game suspension, while forward Erick was penalized with two games. Coach Jair Ventura, who was also reported, was acquitted by the STJD. These suspensions could prevent Mota and Erick from participating in Esporte Clube Vitória's next match this Saturday (2) against Coritiba, in the 14th round of Série A, unless they secure a suspensive effect.

The officials and player were charged under Article 258, paragraph two, of the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice (CBJD), which addresses "disrespecting members of the refereeing team or disrespectfully complaining about their decisions." Article 258 also covers conduct contrary to sports discipline or ethics, with penalties ranging from one to six matches of suspension, in addition to a fine.

Esporte Clube Vitória's loss to Athletico-PR was marked by controversial incidents. A penalty deemed questionable was awarded to Athletico. Furthermore, there were incidents such as Luiz Gustavo's challenge on Zé Vitor and Arthur Dias's hard foul on Renê, both resulting only in a yellow card and no VAR intervention, which caused significant dissatisfaction within the club.

Similar cases of penalties for referee criticism have occurred previously, such as with Bahia's defender David Duarte and coach Rogério Ceni, who were suspended for one game. Esporte Clube Vitória itself had already protested against refereeing in prior episodes, such as after the match against Flamengo, where the club filed a representation and requested VAR audio.