Depay Triggered a Rule Change in Football, Followed by a Brawl: Scandal in Brazil

Memphis came for the beautiful game — and ended up facing a ban.

Football is one of the fairest, if not the fairest, sports on the planet. It’s perfectly balanced, full of variations in success, tactics, strategies, and more. The entry barrier is minimal. The rules are clearly defined down to the tiniest detail, making mistakes or loopholes practically impossible… or are they?

“Joga Bonito” — the beautiful game — is a Brazilian football term often used to describe a style of play focused on flair, elegance, and entertainment. Memphis Depay, the 31-year-old Dutch forward, now plays for Brazilian club Corinthians.

Turns out Memphis had dreamed his whole career of experiencing that legendary “Joga” firsthand. He was eager to play in Brazil’s top league just to feel what it’s like. In September 2024, he joined Corinthians as a free agent after leaving Atlético Madrid, saying he wanted to “try something new.”

In a recent Paulista Championship final against Palmeiras, the former Barcelona striker decided to waste time in a rather stylish manner. After receiving the ball, he dribbled to the corner flag and then — stood on the ball. What seemed like a flashy but harmless move didn’t sit well with Palmeiras players. As soon as the play ended, a scuffle broke out, quickly escalating into a full-on brawl involving nearly every player on the field.

The match ended 0–0, but Corinthians won the final 1–0 on aggregate and celebrated with the trophy. After the game, the Brazilian Football Federation made a surprising — even shocking — decision: standing on the ball was now banned. Any player doing so would be shown a yellow card, and the opposing team would get an indirect free kick. Hard to believe, but true. Or is it?

The federation deemed the move a “provocative action” that could lead to conflict — and thus banned it. In effect, this made Depay the main culprit behind the mass brawl. Strange logic. Will the federation’s council take a second look at this?

Of course, Memphis didn’t stay silent. He said:

“I came to Brazil to experience Joga Bonito, but yesterday the Brazilian federation declared that no player is allowed to stand on the ball. Who is deciding the future of this beautiful football country? Instead of making dumb statements, let’s focus on rules that actually improve the sport.”

So Depay… changed football — or at least its rules — with one single move. He triggered the reaction of an entire football federation. And with that came responsibility: a full ban on “standing on the ball.” One has to wonder how referees will technically judge this. What if a player somehow ends up with both feet on the ball during a dribble — unlikely, but possible — how will that be called?

Overall, the situation is part funny, part ridiculous. Brawls don’t break out because someone stood on a ball. And handing out cards for dribbling techniques goes against the spirit of football. What’s next — banning nutmegs and chips over goalkeepers because they might be “provocative actions”?

Published by Patrick Jane
09.04.2025