Raphinha has accused the referee of making “unacceptable” decisions after Brazil were beaten 3-2 by Japan in Saturday morning’s friendly.
The Barcelona forward and Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti were both sent off after protesting against the officials’ decisions following Japan’s late winner.
Speaking to Globo after the match, Raphinha apologised for his dismissal but said he had struggled to remain calm because of the number of errors he believed the referee had made.
“First, I would like to take this opportunity to apologise for being sent off. It is difficult to control yourself in situations like that, especially with so many mistakes from the referee,” he said.
“I tried to speak to him, but I did not feel that he was open to a conversation. I believe he made many mistakes during the match. I will try to believe they were simply mistakes, but what happened was unacceptable.”
Japan moved 2-0 ahead by the 19th minute before Vinicius Junior reduced the deficit in the 33rd minute of the first half.
Brazil equalised through a second goal in the 30th minute of the second half, but Sakamoto secured victory for the Asian side with a goal in added time.
Raphinha said Brazil had been disadvantaged by a series of decisions, beginning before Japan’s opening goal.
“There was a foul before the first goal, and the player also touched the ball with his hand, although that can be understood under the current rules,” he said.
“There was also a clear penalty in my favour, and then their third goal was scored.”
He added: “There was a very clear foul on Joao, but the referee decided to let play continue and, with the help of the video assistant referee, the goal was awarded.”
Raphinha calls for response
Despite his criticism, Raphinha said Brazil had made progress during the match and had shown a better level after the interval.
“We tried to give our best from the beginning without ignoring the areas we need to improve,” he said. “We are developing and starting to find our way on the pitch.”
“In my view, we played a great match. Our performance in the second half was much better than in the first, but when you have to play against the referee as well, things become difficult.”
Raphinha said Brazil could not ignore what he regarded as serious officiating errors.
“We cannot simply move on from what happened with the refereeing without taking a clear position,” he said.
