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Brazil: Corinthians' Tevez accuses refs, women accuse Tevez [Thu Sep 15th, 2005]
Rio de Janeiro (Reuters) - Corinthians' Argentine forward Carlos Tevez has been accused of sexism in the latest round of mud-slinging between himself and Brazilian referees.
A Sao Paulo police department which deals with sexual and racial discrimination is threatening to prosecute the Argentine international over comments he made about two female line officials last week.
"It was an unfortunate comment," said Margarette Correa Barreto Garcia, head of the department known as Gradi which deals with crimes of intolerance.
"He questioned women's capabilities," she said in a radio interview adding that she had received complaints from women's rights groups.
Tevez's outburst came after Corinthians lost 3-2 to local rivals Sao Paulo last week in a match where women ran both lines.
"When football gets more serious, women shouldn't be taking part (as match officials)," the 21-year-old former Boca Juniors forward told reporters. "It's a question of capabilities."
Tevez is already at the centre of a controversy over the way he has been treated by referees since his move to Brazil for a South American record fee of US$18 million.
On August 6, Tevez insulted referee Anselmo de Costa after being sent off for retaliation during a Brazilian championship match against Sao Caetano.
Tevez said he had been the victim of repeated violent fouls by opponents and that the referee had failed to take action against his opponents.
CAMERA CREW
After last week's match against Corinthians, Tevez was one of several Corinthians players who accused referee Edilson Pereira de Carvalho of swearing at his team-mate Sebastian Dominguez, another Argentine.
Pereira denied the allegations and said the Corinthians players were trying to find excuses for their defeat.
All three men have been summoned to appear before Brazilian football's disciplinary tribunal.
Corinthians then hired a camera crew to film the referee during their match against Atletico Paranaense on Sunday.
The referees contemplated carrying tape recorders during Corinthians games in retaliation, but the move was vetoed on Tuesday by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).
Brazil's 1970 World Cup forward Tostao, now one of the country's most respected football writers, said violence against all talented players was commonplace in Brazilian football.
"The mistakes and the swearing by some referees, as well as the violence of a lot of defenders, are regrettable and need to be punished," he wrote on Wednesday.
"Unfortunately, they are common practices which are used against all forwards in Brazilian football, not just against Tevez."
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