This World Cup will be remembered as the tournament in which VAR made its long-awaited debut. So far, video assistant referee has garnered praise from pundits and fans alike who feel it has eliminated cheating and errors on the pitch.
However, while the technology has been received well, some hold grievances the man behind the whistle: the main official. One of them is Pepe, who has pointed out a few instances in which poor refereeing was clear for the naked eye to see.
The defender has been at the heart of Portugal's defense as they look to make it to the knockout stages. However, the center-back has argued that some incorrect decisions from the officials have made things more difficult for his national side.
"There are incidents which don't even need VAR," Pepe said, as per Marca.
"For the first goal Spain scored against us you don't need video referees, even Diego Costa recognised it was a foul.
"Then there was a penalty not given for Cristiano Ronaldo against Morocco, but cameras showed that they grabbed him and he was pushed.
"I'm sure that, if it wasn't Cristiano, they would have given a penalty.
However, the 35-year-old blames those mistakes as mere humanly errors. He insisted that there is no agenda against the Euro 2016 champion in their campaign to win their first ever World Cup title.
"In any case, we are human beings, we make mistakes and I don't think the referees have any intention of prejudicing against anyone.
"We should respect them, we're professionals and have to do our job, nothing else, that's what the coach asks for."
Pepe and Co. face one more hurdle before they can book their round of 16 ticker. Fernando Santos' men will lock horns with Iran in their final group-stage game and must only avoid defeat if they wish to progress.
Despite being a small nation, Pepe is taking nothing for granted against the Middle-East side. He promised to fight and battle in what should be a "tough game".
