Raphinha apologises for red card and criticises referee after Brazil lose to Japan

Brazil winger Raphinha has apologised for his dismissal while criticising the referee after his side’s 3-2 friendly defeat by Japan.

Raphinha and Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti were both shown red cards from the substitutes’ bench after protesting against decisions during the match at the National Stadium in Japan.

Speaking to Brazilian network geglobo, Raphinha said: “First, I would like to apologise for my actions and for being sent off, but sometimes it is difficult to control yourself after so many refereeing mistakes, in my opinion.”

He said he had tried to speak to the referee several times but felt his attempts had been dismissed.

“I tried to talk to the referee several times, but I never felt that he was willing to listen to me or discuss things with me,” Raphinha said.

“I think he made mistakes at several moments in the match, but that is not acceptable.”

Raphinha questioned two decisions in particular, beginning with Japan’s opening goal.

“In my opinion, Japan’s first goal came after a foul because the player touched the ball with his hand,” he said. “I believe it was a foul, but the decision can be understood under the laws currently applied in football.”

He also claimed Brazil should have been awarded a penalty in the first half.

“There was a penalty in the first half. In my opinion, it was a penalty,” added Raphinha. “I touched the ball, then I was put under pressure from behind and fell inside the penalty area, but the referee said it was not a penalty.”

The defeat came despite two goals from Vinicius Junior, with Japan securing a 3-2 victory in the friendly.

Raphinha said Brazil’s frustration with the officiating did not mean the team was ignoring its own shortcomings.

“That is why it is extremely difficult not to talk about the referee,” he said. “We tried from the start of the match to give our best, and of course I do not want to ignore the things we need to improve.”

He added that Brazil were still developing as a team following the World Cup.

“We are a team that is developing and coming together again after the World Cup,” Raphinha said. “In my opinion, we played a great match and were much better in the second half than in the first.”

However, he insisted the players must accept responsibility for the result.

“I do not want to absolve ourselves of responsibility,” he said. “As I said, we have a lot to improve and we will work on that, but we cannot allow what happened today to pass without discussing it.”