Brazilian championship hit by refereeing rows

Three Brazilian championship matches ended in refereeing controversy on Sunday, with one official needing a police escort to protect him from furious players.

Angry Botafogo players surrounded the referee to protest over Figueirense's equaliser after they were held to a 1-1 draw and dropped further behind leaders Sao Paulo.

Botafogo coach Cuca came on to the field to calm his players as police with shields quickly formed a cordon around the beleaguered official.

Otacilio Neto forced a 76th-minute equaliser for Figueirense after the ball was headed into his path by Vinicius, who appeared to be offside.

"There were at least four players offside," said Cuca, whose team are second with 33 points from 18 games.

Gremio coach Mano Menezes was sent off for the second time in a month for arguing with the referee during his team's 2-1 defeat at Corinthians.

Carlos Eduardo scored from close range for Gremio in the first half but Finazzi headed Corinthians level in the 81st minute and Gustavo Nery rifled in a magnificent winner two minutes later.

Atletico Mineiro's Emerson Leao, meanwhile, was furious with a disallowed goal as his team lost 2-1 at home to Palmeiras and slipped to 12th after their second defeat in a row.

"We keep losing because of refereeing mistakes," he said.

Leaders Sao Paulo moved seven points clear of Botafogo by beating Atletico Paranaense 2-0 for their seventh successive win.