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Raphinha has been ruled out of Brazil's remaining November international fixture after being shown a red card during a friendly against Japan — news that will come as a relief to Barcelona.
Brazil's new No. 10 endured a tough night as La Seleção fell 3–2 to Japan. Raphinha struggled to leave his mark on the match and was substituted off in favor of Endrick with 71 minutes on the clock.
Raphinha grew increasingly frustrated with what he perceived as refereeing bias toward Japan and made his feelings known to the fourth official upon leaving the field. When Japan netted the decisive goal deep in stoppage time, Raphinha furiously protested to the referee, convinced a foul had gone uncalled in the build-up to the strike.
His outburst toward the referee resulted in Raphinha being shown a red card while seated on the bench — a punishment also handed to Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Under FIFA regulations, players dismissed during friendly matches must sit out the next international friendly. As a consequence, Raphinha will miss Brazil's second and final game of the window against Singapore the following Tuesday.
The primary beneficiaries of this situation? Barcelona, who will no doubt be relieved, as Raphinha now looks almost certain to return to Catalonia from international duty without picking up an injury for the first time in 2026. That said, even though Raphinha could theoretically head back to Spain early given his suspension, he is not expected to make a premature return to Catalonia.
Brazil Confirm Raphinha Won't Return to Barcelona Early
Following Raphinha's red card, reports emerged suggesting that Brazil's football federation was weighing up the option of releasing the winger early to return to Barcelona. It is common practice for players to be sent back to their clubs ahead of schedule during international breaks when they are unavailable for selection, whether through injury or suspension.
Such a development would have been a significant boost for Hansi Flick's squad as they navigate a congested fixture list to close out the year. However, after publicly backing Raphinha in the wake of the red card incident, Brazil sporting director Rodrigo Caetano confirmed that La Seleção's captain would remain with the squad for the duration of the camp.
"Raphinha will stay with us," Caetano said. "It makes no sense to let him go because he's one of our leaders. We'll see, calmly, who will represent the team in the best way possible in the next game."
While Barcelona will be greatly relieved that Raphinha appears to have avoided injury, his inability to leave camp early adds yet another chapter to the increasingly complicated relationship between Barça, Raphinha, and Brazil.
Barcelona and Brazil's Complicated History Over Raphinha
Raphinha's international call-ups have become a recurring source of anxiety at Barcelona, given that he has returned to Catalonia nursing an injury on each of the last three occasions he has represented Brazil. This latest window proved no different in terms of tension.
Had Barcelona had their way, Raphinha would not have joined Brazil's November camp at all. The club had wanted their forward to undergo a minor procedure to remove a cyst from his left ear. However, Raphinha, eager to pull on the Brazil shirt, brought the surgery forward in order to be available for La Seleção — a decision that reportedly caused friction with the Blaugrana.
Raphinha was also put on the defensive after drawing criticism in Brazil for suggesting his playing time with La Seleção would be carefully managed following his contract extension at Barcelona.
"Taking into consideration what has happened in the last three camps," Raphinha said ahead of the Japan match. "With three injuries in practically the same area of the leg, what I meant to say was simply that I need to take care of myself. I want to be available not only for the national team, but for Barcelona as well."
Raphinha issued an apology for the behavior that earned him his red card against Japan, while also acknowledging that it can be difficult to keep composure in the face of repeated refereeing errors.
In an ideal world, Barcelona would have had Raphinha on the next plane back to Catalonia. But even with a few extra days spent alongside La Seleção, Raphinha sitting out the window's final match and returning to Barcelona unscathed is precisely the outcome Flick and his staff had been hoping for.