Raphinha launches fierce attack on referee: he made unacceptable errors in Japan's favour

Raphinha, the Barcelona and Brazil star, launched a scathing attack on the referee of the friendly match in which his national team lost to Japan 3-2 this Saturday morning, considering that the refereeing errors clearly affected the course of the game.

With Carlo Ancelotti in the dugout, Raphinha and the Brazil head coach were both sent off after protesting the referee's decisions in the wake of Japan's third goal.

Raphinha said, in comments to the "Globo" network after the match: "Firstly, I would like to take the opportunity to apologise for the sending off. It is difficult to control yourself in such situations, especially with the many mistakes the referee made."

"I tried to talk to him, but I did not feel he was open to dialogue," he added. "I think he made many mistakes during the match, and I will try to believe they were just mistakes, but what happened is unacceptable."

The Barcelona star went further: "There was a foul before the first goal, and the player also touched the ball with his hand, but that can be understood according to the current rules. There was also a clear penalty in my favour, and then their third goal came."

He explained: "There was a very clear foul against Joao, but the referee decided to let play continue, and with the help of VAR technology, the goal was awarded."

"We tried to give our best from the start of the match, without ignoring the things we need to improve," Raphinha continued. "We are developing and we are starting to find ourselves on the pitch."

"From my point of view, we put in a great performance, and our display in the second half was much better than what we produced in the first half, but when you also have to play against the referee, things become difficult," he said.

He signed off with a warning: "We cannot let what happened with the officiating pass without a clear stance."

Japan raced two goals clear inside 19 minutes. Vinicius Junior pulled one back in the 33rd minute before levelling things up with his second in the 75th.

Sakamoto had the final word. His stoppage-time strike sealed the win for the Asian side.