Lionel Messi has been caught up in a row between the Brazilian Football Confederation and FIFA. Carlo Ancelotti’s side all but ended Scotland’s hopes of making the last 32 by claiming a 3-0 victory over Steve Clarke’s men at Miami Stadium on Wednesday.
Vinicius Junior took advantage of a mistake to put his side ahead and then had the ball in the net again in the 20th minute, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review judged he had fouled Jack Hendry. And that review has resulted in the CBF sending a letter to FIFA protesting the call.
In the letter, seen by Brazilian publication Estadao, the CBF requested consistent application of the VAR intervention criteria. To back up their point, the CBF even cited the play that resulted in Messi's first goal against Austria in Argentina’s second Group J match.
An excerpt from the letter published by Estadao says: "One aspect that particularly caught our attention during this tournament was the approach adopted by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Throughout the competition, there seems to have been a clear emphasis on respecting the on-field referee's interpretation and limiting intervention to situations involving clear and obvious errors. We believe this philosophy benefits football, preserves the referee's authority, and contributes positively to the fluidity of the game."
Before the letter continues: "Brazil's disallowed goal against Scotland in the 21st minute does not seem to align with the philosophy adopted throughout the competition. It is worth noting that the decision seemed unexpected not only for the Brazilian team, but also for the Scottish players, whose immediate reactions suggested that they did not expect a review or the subsequent annulment of the goal.”
It then adds: "Our main interest is not to revisit individual decisions, but to ensure that the criteria governing VAR intervention are applied consistently, transparently and equally to all teams throughout the tournament.”
The CBF also complained about the appointment of Cesar Arturo Ramos as referee. They believe the Mexican's negative history should have led FIFA to appoint another referee for the match.
That negative history dates back to 2018, when he infuriated the Brazilians so much during a group game against Switzerland that they made an official complaint to FIFA about his performance. Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by Switzerland in Russia, and in a formal letter to FIFA's Arbitration Committee, the CBF said: "We believe it was strange that Mexican referee Ramos did not use VAR to determine Joao Miranda was fouled during a corner kick.
"Likewise, we would like to know why we did not receive a penalty for an obvious foul on Gabriel Jesus."
Despite being denied by VAR, Vinicius scored again before half-time, and Matheus Cunha completed the scoring on the hour mark against the Scots. As it stands, the 2002 winners are set to face Japan in the round of 32 on Monday.
And speaking post-match, Ancelotti said: “Now we are playing as a team, that is the goal. We are not perfect, we have things to improve. We can be a little quicker when we have control.
"I’m happy because the team has improved a lot, now we are solid. In the knockout stage, solidity is very important. We have a solid team. Compared to the first game, we are making fewer mistakes, we have more rhythm, and we are more effective up front."
