Security separate Ancelotti and Brazil players from referee after shock 3-2 loss to Japan

Carlo Ancelotti and Raphinha were shown red cards and security personnel had to physically separate Brazil’s players and staff from referee Jansen Foo Chuan Hui after a 3-2 friendly defeat to Japan in Singapore on Saturday, as a tense occasion descended into chaos in the final minutes.

Brazil had fought back to level at 2-2 through a Vinicius Junior brace, cancelling out goals from Takefusa Kubo and Keito Nakamura. The match appeared to be heading for a draw when Tatsuhiro Sakamoto dinked the ball over goalkeeper Pedro Morisco a minute into stoppage time to hand Japan a late winner. VAR confirmed the goal was legitimate, but Brazil’s players immediately surrounded the official, unhappy with several decisions throughout the game.

Raphinha, who had just been substituted, and Ancelotti were both dismissed in the aftermath. Security then intervened to pull Ancelotti, Vinicius Junior, and Bruno Guimarães away from the Singaporean referee as the confrontation escalated.

Speaking to the media afterwards, Ancelotti explained the reason given for his dismissal. “He gave me the red card because he said I was not able to control the bench, and that all the players were on the field — that is the reason,” the Italian said. “A pity the result, because we don’t like to lose the game, but we have to look at what we did well. There are many things. Some players who played for the first time, who showed good quality. For 70 minutes, the team was good.”

Ancelotti also questioned the referee’s experience, though stopped short of placing full blame on him. “The result, obviously, is conditioned by the attitude of the referee, who did not blow the whistle. But it’s not his fault; it was a high-level match, and I think he didn’t have the experience to manage this type of match.”

Raphinha, speaking to Globo, was more pointed in his criticism while also issuing an apology for his own conduct. “First of all, I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise for my behaviour and for being sent off,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard to keep calm, especially after what I felt were so many refereeing errors during the match. I tried to speak to him several times, and not once did I feel he was open to discussion.”

The Barcelona winger had been particularly aggrieved by a potential handball in the build-up to Japan’s opener and what he felt were legitimate penalty claims that went unheard. The defeat marks a turbulent start to Ancelotti’s tenure as Brazil head coach, with the manner of the loss and the post-match scenes likely to draw scrutiny ahead of their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.