The use of VAR to expel Jorge Carrascal of the Flamengo at the start of the second half, due to an incident that occurred before halftime, raised new questions about his use during the Brazilian Super Cup held on Sunday at the Mane Garrincha stadium in the capital, Brasilia. Final that Corinthians won after winning 0-2.
The strange decision to show the red card came after Corinthians players complained about Carrascal allegedly elbowing Breno Bidon in the face shortly before half-time. The Corinthians midfielder remained lying on the pitch for several minutes while his teammates demanded a VAR review that never occurred.
Both teams headed to the locker room, considering the matter settled. However, referee Rafael Klein surprised everyone when he headed to the VAR booth after the players returned for the second half, ultimately concluding that there was aggression and showing a red card to the Colombian midfielder, which left Flamengo stunned.
The decision sparked outrage from Flamengo players, who believed any review would have occurred during the first half. Corinthians won 2-0 with goals from Gabriel Paulista and Yuri Alberto, and won the trophy. “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” said Flamengo coach Filipe Luis, a former Chelsea and Atlético de Madrid defender.
“I don’t know if it has ever happened anywhere else. The players waited on the field and went to the locker room as if the play had already been reviewed. We prepared the whole plan to play 11 on 11 and then that happens (…) I don’t want to make excuses for the loss, but I have never seen anything like it.”
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The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) later blamed electrical problems for the unprecedented delay. The CBF said that during the break there was a power outage in several areas of the stadium, including the video room, which remained inoperative for much of the second half.
“Initially, the available images did not provide conclusive evidence, so the first part ended normally,” the CBF explained in a statement on Monday morning. “While the proceedings were still ongoing, a further check made it possible to clearly identify the infringement, which led to the recommendation of a review so that the referee could assess and consequently send off the player.”
