Raphinha and Ancelotti Both See Red as Brazil Lose 3-2 to Japan in Singapore

Japan beat Brazil 3-2 in a friendly at the National Stadium in Singapore on Saturday, with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto scoring the winner in the 91st minute. Brazil felt Joao Gomes had been fouled in the buildup, and the protests that followed saw captain Raphinha, already substituted, and coach Carlo Ancelotti both sent off. Raphinha apologised for his behaviour but called the officiating unacceptable and said it should be punished, and he will miss Tuesday’s friendly against Singapore through suspension.

What happened at the end in Singapore?

Japan scored with their first real moment of danger in over an hour, and Brazil lost their discipline in the minute after. Japan had led 2-0 inside 20 minutes through Takefusa Kubo and Keito Nakamura, then watched Vinicius Junior score twice, once either side of half-time, to drag Brazil level. Brazil looked the more likely winners as the game drifted towards the close, but Sakamoto latched onto a deflected shot in the 91st minute and poked home. The move had started when Joao Gomes was caught in possession, and Brazil screamed for a foul. The referee from Singapore let play continue, VAR validated the goal, and the game was decided. What happened next decided the headlines. It was the second viral moment of the international break, after a Benin player’s selfie attempt stole the show at Messi’s farewell, and referees have been at the centre of the week’s stories: Marc Cucurella handed the referee his dropped red card during a Croatia game last month.

Why were Raphinha and Ancelotti sent off?

Because they complained together, and neither stopped. Raphinha had been substituted in the 71st minute, replaced by Endrick, after a difficult evening as captain for the day in which he was rarely brought into the action in dangerous areas. When Japan scored, he was on the sideline, and he angrily complained to the referee about the foul he felt had not been called in the lead-up. Ancelotti joined him, and both were shown red cards at 90+2 for dissent. The detail that matters is that neither dismissal changed the numbers: Raphinha was already off the pitch, so Brazil still had eleven players when the winner went in, and a coach’s red card costs no player at all. The dismissals were a punishment for the protest, not a factor in the result, and that distinction got lost in some of the first reports.

What did Raphinha say afterwards?

He apologised and accused the referee in the same breath, which is why the quotes travelled so far. “First of all, I want to take this opportunity to apologise for the sending-off. It’s difficult to control,” he told Globo. Then came the list: a foul and a handball before Japan’s opener, a penalty he felt he was owed, and “a very clear foul on Joao” before the third goal. “So many mistakes by the referee. I tried to talk to him, but I didn’t feel he was open to talking,” he said. “It’s unacceptable. We can’t let the refereeing go unpunished.” He also claimed Brazil were playing against the referee, not just Japan. Red cards for big names have been a theme of the autumn: Vinicius Junior was sent off for a hair pull in La Liga last month, and Athenea del Castillo was sent off for the same offence in Washington a week earlier. The pattern of stars losing their tempers with officials is becoming a story of its own.

What did Ancelotti say about his red card?

He was calmer, and his explanation was stranger. “He told me that I wasn’t managing the bench and that’s why he gave me the red card,” Ancelotti said of the referee’s reasoning. He also refused to let the result define the night, saying Brazil played well for 70 minutes, which was what the team wanted to test, and that he was satisfied with the young players. The group will be finalised in March, he said. The Guardian’s verdict was harsher: after 18 months in charge, the loss raised plenty of questions about a tenure it called utterly underwhelming, with Brazil’s basic problems, how to field two wingers and a coherent side with defensive solidity, still unsolved. Ancelotti has another friendly against Singapore on Tuesday, then a long wait until the end of March for the next FIFA matchday, which is plenty of time for the media and public in Brazil to dwell on the result.

What are the consequences for Tuesday?

Raphinha misses the game, and Ancelotti misses the bench. FIFA rules mean a player sent off in a friendly serves a suspension in the following international friendly, so Raphinha will not feature against Singapore on Tuesday at the same stadium. Ancelotti will also be barred from the bench, handing the reins to one of his backroom staff. Red cards have carried consequences all week: Suriname called on FIFA and Concacaf to act after a red card and a racist abuse allegation in Guatemala. The twist is that Raphinha still cannot go home: Brazil sporting director Rodrigo Caetano confirmed the captain will stay with the camp for the rest of the window. “Raphinha will stay with us,” Caetano said. “It makes no sense to let him go because he’s one of our leaders.” So the player who was sent off for protesting will sit out the next game and stay in Singapore anyway, watching from the stands.

Why does this matter for Barcelona?

Because Raphinha went to Brazil against his club’s wishes and is coming home with a suspension instead of an injury. Barcelona wanted him to stay in Spain for a minor operation to remove a cyst from his left ear, but Raphinha, keen on representing Brazil, moved the surgery up so he could feature. He has returned injured from the last three Brazil camps, and he was criticised in Brazil for saying his minutes would be managed after signing a contract renewal with Barcelona. Missing the Singapore game and returning without a fresh injury is the best outcome Barcelona could hope for from this window, but the fact that he still cannot leave camp early adds another layer to the tension between club and country. The red card cost him one friendly. The surgery he postponed could cost him more.