Bruno Arleu de Araújo will referee Botafogo vs Vasco on Wednesday, November 7, in the 29th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro. The classic is set for 8:30 p.m. Brasília time at Estádio Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro.
The appointment puts a 43-year-old official from Rio de Janeiro back at the center of one of the city’s most watched matches. Born on February 14, 1983, Arleu debuted as a Série A referee in 2015 and is now on the FIFA refereeing list, a profile that gives the assignment added weight for a game that arrives with the table and the mood both under pressure.
His record with the two sides helps explain why the name drew attention. Botafogo has not lost any of the seven matches in which Arleu was the main referee, posting five wins and two draws. That stretch includes a 4-1 win over Flamengo on August 18, 2024, a 3-0 win over Vasco on November 5, 2024, a 2-0 win over Fluminense on April 26, 2025, a 0-0 draw with Flamengo on May 18, 2025, another 3-0 win over Vasco on November 5, 2025, and a 1-1 draw with Fluminense on August 8, 2026.
Vasco’s numbers with him are tighter, but they tilt the other way. In three matches with Arleu as referee, Vasco has one win and two losses, including a 2-1 victory over Fluminense on July 20, 2019, and the 3-0 loss to Botafogo at Estádio Nilton Santos on November 5, 2024. The broader pattern matters because Arleu had often appeared in Botafogo and Vasco matches as a fourth official or VAR assistant before taking on more main-referee appointments, yet the reason for this specific assignment has not been explained.
What is clear is that the classic will now be played under a referee whose recent numbers lean heavily toward Botafogo, even as Vasco arrives with a small but unfavorable sample of results under him. By Wednesday night, the appointment will no longer be the story; the way he handles the match will be.
