Tension Brazil - Barcelona: Raphinha not released

Raphinha stays with Brazil for the rest of the international break despite his red card against Japan; CBF confirms mutual agreement with Barcelona.

Raphinha was sent off in Brazil's 3-2 loss to Japan in Singapore, receiving a direct red card in the closing stages after an altercation with the referee that also resulted in Carlo Ancelotti's expulsion. Despite the incident, CBF director Rodrigo Caetano confirmed the Barcelona forward will remain with the squad for the remainder of the international window.

"Raphinha is going to stay with us. It makes no sense for him to leave because he is one of our leaders," Caetano said after the match. The decision came by mutual agreement between the federation and the player.

Raphinha, one of the new captains in Ancelotti's Brazil cycle, played 71 minutes and struggled with several refereeing decisions, including a missed penalty and a direct red card for remonstrating with the official.

After the match, Raphinha apologized for his expulsion but criticized the referee's performance. "I want to apologize for the red card, but it's very difficult not to talk about the referee," he said. "It's hard when you're playing against the referee too." Brazil face Singapore on Tuesday in their final Asian tour match.