Brazil USA red cards chaos in friendly game turned into a hot and controversial game in Fortaleza as United States just won 1-0. Brazil defender Isabela Chagas found herself in trouble in the second half, when she botched an own goal. But soon it was forgotten when the game began to heat up. Eight cards were issued, including dismissals for Brazil’s head coach Arthur Elias and some of his staff. It was a bad one when Brazil were up nine men, late in the game.
The players began to become frustrated and to engage in altercations with the referee. There was a lot of emotion in the match and it was soon from being competitive to chaotic in a matter of minutes. Arthur Elias was already in trouble after being issued a yellow card for a kit problem earlier in the game. He made his send-off by sending a ball away in protest in the 77th minute.
At this moment, more chaos was seen on the sidelines. There are reports that a number of Brazilian players protested against some of the referee’s decisions following the dismissals. The situation escalated to such an extent that police in riot gear intervened to calm things down and avoid any further violence. In general, this encounter calls into question the discipline and match control in international friendly matches.
This type of game is usually played to practice or to test out tactics, but how fast things can get out of hand when things are disputed. The victory gives the U.S. a boost. Now in Brazil, the attention will be turned to discipline and internal control.
