Ancelotti criticises referee after Brazil suffer 3-2 defeat by Japan

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti criticised the referee following his side’s 3-2 international friendly defeat by Japan, saying the official lacked the experience required to handle a match of that level.

The game at Japan National Stadium saw Vinicius Junior score twice for Brazil, but Japan completed the comeback to secure victory.

Ancelotti said some decisions had influenced the outcome, although he stopped short of placing all the blame on the referee.

“The result was obviously affected by the referee’s performance and by some decisions he did not give, but it is not entirely his fault,” Ancelotti told reporters.

Both Ancelotti and Raphinha were shown red cards from the bench after protesting against one of the referee’s decisions.

“It was a high-level match, and I think he did not have enough experience to manage this kind of game,” Ancelotti added.

Brazil will play Singapore on Tuesday in their final friendly of this international break.