Brazil shock Barcelona with a strange decision regarding Raphinha

The newspaper Sport report that Raphinha will stay with the Samba camp in Singapore, sparking a fresh crisis between the Brazilian Federation and Barcelona.

Raphinha played 71 minutes before the match boiled over at the death. The Barcelona star and coach Carlo Ancelotti both saw red for protesting Japan's winner, which came after a clear foul on João Gomes.

Brazil are due to play a second match at the National Stadium in Singapore next Tuesday, and Raphinha cannot feature. He must serve a one-match ban.

Ancelotti is also barred from the bench, forcing the Italian to hand the reins to one of his backroom staff for the game.

Logic suggested Brazil would release Raphinha from the squad so he could bring forward his return to Barça, the rule the Brazilian Federation have long applied in friendlies and South American World Cup qualifiers.

Not this time. Rodrigo Caetano, the general executive coordinator of Brazil's men's national teams, confirmed as much in the mixed zone at the National Stadium in Singapore.

Caetano told reporters: "Raphinha will stay. For now, he will continue to remain with us... There is no sense in his departure, because he is one of our leaders."

On Ancelotti, the Brazilian official added: "We will settle it later, calmly, and study the identity of the person who will replace the coach in the best possible way, because we have a highly qualified technical staff, which includes many good names, and we will divide the tasks among them."

Raphinha, then, stays put in Brazil's Singapore camp until further notice. If it plays out as the Federation's top executive described, he cannot begin the journey back to Barcelona, a trip of around 11,000 kilometres and more than 12 hours in the air, until after Tuesday's game, which the Barcelona and Brazil captain will watch from the stands.

The delay hits his preparation and his readjustment to Barcelona's local time, with a seven-hour gap between the Catalan city and Singapore. It comes ahead of Barcelona's next LaLiga outing, at home to Villarreal at the Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday 22 November.

A week later, Hansi Flick's side make their longest trip of the UEFA Champions League first phase, facing Sabah FC at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on Wednesday 25 November.

That journey covers around 4,000 kilometres and takes more than five hours by air.

Written byMohamed Mansi

Senior Editor

I am an Egyptian journalist specializing in sports, working for the Kooora website since 2016.

My journalism journey began after graduating from the Faculty of Mass Communication at Cairo University (Journalism Department) in 2011, and I joined the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate in 2017.

At Kooora, I found the football passion that has been with me since childhood, following news of global clubs—especially Real Madrid—as well as Egyptian clubs, particularly Al Ahly SC.

My journey with football began by supporting Al Ahly from a very young age, then following the 1998 FIFA World Cup at the age of 8. I became attached to legends such as Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazário, and Rivaldo, along with other skillful players of that era like Davor Šuker, Bebeto, Iván Zamorano, Marcelo Salas, and Ariel Ortega, as well as strikers like Michael Owen, Patrick Kluivert, Gabriel Batistuta, Samuel Eto'o, and David Trezeguet.

Since UEFA Euro 2004, which ended with Greece winning the title, I began closely following the legend Cristiano Ronaldo, whom I consider the greatest in football history due to his remarkable career, especially during his time with Real Madrid, my favorite club worldwide.

My professional experience is centered on writing news, providing analysis, covering both international and local events, as well as editorial reviewing (desk work).

During my time at Kooora, I have published several series, including “Great but…”, “Legitimate Betrayal”, and “Mercato AI”, in addition to a variety of reports.

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