AS newspaper reported that despite Rafinha's dismissal in Brazil's 3-2 defeat against Japan, the Brazilian Football Association decided to keep the Barcelona forward until the end of the team's camp. This decision was made with the consent of the player and the association, and is against Brazil's accepted practice of sending players off.
Rodrigo Caetano, Brazil's men's national football team manager, said: "Rafina will stay with us. It doesn't make sense for him to leave, because he is one of the leaders of our group." After being sent off against Japan, the Barcelona striker will remain in the camp until the end of the break of national competitions with the consent of the Brazilian Federation.
Rafinha said after being sent off in Brazil's 3:2 loss against Japan: "I want to apologize for my sending off, but when you have to play in front of the referee, it's difficult. I'm not saying we're not guilty, but we can't ignore the referee's performance today."