Gustavo Holanda Souza, 23, refereed a football match for the first time at age 15. Hated the experience. He made a lot of mistakes and didn’t feel good about it. I really wanted to play futsal.
At the insistence of family members, he tried again. Started to like it.
Eight years later, he became the youngest referee in a Copa São Paulo final this century. He was selected to direct the derby in which Palmeiras beat Santos 4-0, this Tuesday (25), at Allianz Parque. It was the first title of the alviverde team in the competition.
Seconds before starting the decision, Gustavo raised his hands in the air and made a quick prayer. He asked for everything to go well. He had never worked with the VAR feature and he had never been assigned to such an important game, with such an audience. There were 20,800 people in the Palmeiras arena.
When the final whistle blew 90 minutes later, one of the sensations he felt was relief.
“We can feel when a game is going well, when the delivery is round. Thank God, it was delivered round, without any detail that a team can claim to be in our account”, he notes.
Gustavo did not need to use the video feature once. There were no controversial moves and his biggest job was to separate principles of confusion between athletes from both teams.
“There was a sentence that Elder Campos [técnico do Santos] said in the interview and I thought it was very good. Pressure is a privilege for the top athlete. The referee works to get here. This was a moment of great happiness, knowing that I would have this opportunity ahead of me”, he adds.
It was joy not just for him. Gustavo comes from a family used to performing the role. His aunt, Regildenia de Holanda Moura, was a member of the FPF (São Paulo Football Federation) for 15 years and is now an instructor. His brother, Guilherme Holanda, 27, is an assistant and also affiliated with the entity. He has other uncles and cousins ​​who are in the business.
When he realized he had had a good performance in the Copinha final, Gustavo was pleased for them too. He immediately thought of his wife Ana Luiza and her four-month-old daughter.
“Her name is Jasmin. Just like the flower”, he comments.
The young judge is one of the bets for the renewal of the FPF and was chosen by Ana Paula Oliveira, president of the Arbitration Commission, for the final. Not everyone agreed with the decision. There were comments in the federation that he was too young. The game would be a classic, Palmeiras could be champion for the first time and would play in their stadium. Ana Paula paid for the scale and was rewarded.
Even at such a young age for the profession, Gustavo already has all the skills of a football referee. The way you speak and the words you use. The upright, almost military posture.
He was informed that he would be the referee of the Copinha title clash on Monday (24), around 11:30 am. Less than 24 hours before the game. He was concentrating on referee preseason and ran to pick up the phone and call his parents. He listened to Aunt Regildenia’s advice. He was even more fulfilled when he realized the joy of his family.
“Some people said I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Wow, I slept like an angel.”
In the referee’s life, Copinha assumed a role that has always been reserved for players: that of a showcase. It was his chance to show up and show some good work. He knows that in the future he will make mistakes. It’s inevitable and part of the job. I just didn’t want it to be this Tuesday.
“It’s a very big showcase. My first Cup was in 2020. Because I did a good job, I started to be more watched and debuted in professional federation championships.”
Last Sunday (23), he was the fourth referee in Palmeiras’ victory over Novorizontino, in the first round of the Paulista Series A1.
That Gustavo who hated to whistle no longer exists. He discovered the desire to be on the field, just like when he was a boy and dreamed of being a player. But this time, he prefers a different color uniform to the teams and to have the whistle in his hand. It’s a feeling that can’t be explained.
“When you feel refereeing enter your veins, there’s no escape. I think people don’t love refereeing because they don’t know it. I know there will be pressure, a team will lose and throw the responsibility on you, but the pleasure is indescribable . It’s impossible to describe how pleasant it is to finish an important match like this without any problem”, he celebrates.
And when he makes a mistake at some point, he already has the mantra in his head.
“When I make a mistake, I feel bad. I go to the ground. But it’s like that Marcelo D2 song about Ronaldo says: ‘I’m a warrior. Sometimes I fall, but I get up’. That’s what I think about.”
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