"Abel Ferreira, coach of [soccer team] Palmeiras, has suffered an off-the-field defeat. The São Paulo State Court of Justice rejected a claim for moral damages filed by the coach against journalist Mauro Cezar Pereira for comments made on Rádio Jovem Pan. Judge Renata Martins de Carvalho's decision was released on Saturday [Nov. 25]. Ferreira, who can still appeal, will have to pay 10,000 reais [about US $2,000] in fees to Pereira and Rádio Jovem Pan's lawyers.
In July 2022, journalist Pereira called Ferreira a 'colonizer' after a press conference in which the coach said Brazilian players had much to evolve in terms of training.
Ferreira then filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for moral damages of 50,000 reais [about US $10,000]. The coach claimed the journalist's statements were insulting and xenophobic. Pereira's defense before the court claimed the lawsuit was an attempt to silence him and that 'it was not the first time Ferreira had had problems with journalists.'"
