World Cup Story Feed / 世界杯事情流
World Cup Story Feed / 世界杯事情流
On June 24th, in Miami, Brazil beat Scotland 3 0. Vinicius opened the scoring in the 7th minute, and in the second half, he and Cunha each scored a goal to seal the match. Two legal goals were scored in the entire game. Vinicius's goal tally in this tournament reached 4, tying him with Mbappe and Haaland for second place on the scorer list, with only Messi ahead, who has scored 5 goals.
On June 24, in Miami, Brazil beat Scotland 3-0. Vinícius opened the scoring in the 7th minute, with goals in the second half from himself and Cunha sealing the scoreline. Two legitimate goals in total, with Vinícius netting his fourth of the tournament, tying him with Mbappé and Haaland for second on the goalscorer list, behind only Messi, who has five goals.
Topping the group with the star player in red-hot form, the dressing room should have been popping champagne. But what the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) did after the match was more bizarre than the scoreline. They sent an official complaint to FIFA. The sharpest shot in the letter used Messi as a positive example.
In the 22nd minute, Vinícius pressed high, and Scotland defender Hendry went down. Vinícius collected the ball and fired it in. Referee César Ramos ran to the sideline to check the VAR, made a hand gesture, and disallowed the goal for a foul.
The broadcast cut to Hendry, who stood there stunned. Cadena SER reporter Pedro Martín looked at the screen and said bluntly, "Hendry probably felt embarrassed himself." The fouled player didn't even raise his hand to complain. But Vinícius, on the sideline, shouted toward the goal line, "Es una vergüenza!" (This is a disgrace!)
Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Kahn, who has long provided referee analysis for the BBC, made it clear: "Scotland got away with one. He was just holding his position; the defender kicked him. That's definitely not a foul." Analyst Paulo Oliveira of Brazil's Globo TV also deemed it a mistake, arguing it violated this World Cup's guideline of promoting game flow.
The only defender of the call was former Scotland international McFadden, who insisted Vinícius kicked Hendry's right leg. A controversial call that ended up being whitewashed only by a pundit from the affected nation.
A wrong call would have seen Brazilians rant on Twitter for two days at most. But what pushed them to write FIFA directly was the Mexican standing in the center of the pitch.
At the 2018 World Cup, Brazil drew 1-1 with Switzerland, with Ramos also as referee. Swiss player Zuber clearly shoved Miranda during a corner before scoring a header; the VAR team didn't deem the push a clear and obvious error, and Ramos didn't go to the monitor. In the same match, Gabriel Jesus was tackled to the ground by Akanji in the box, and Ramos again refused VAR intervention. The CBF sent FIFA an official complaint after the match about those two controversial calls, and both were rejected.
Eight years later, FIFA put the same man in front of Brazil again. The CBF had protested Ramos' appointment before the match, but to no avail. FIFA's referee assignment mechanism seemed like an emotionless scheduling machine. Complained about him? Fine, then let him officiate your match again.
In 2018, Brazilians wanted a replay review, but Ramos wouldn't look. In 2026, Ramos voluntarily went to check the monitor and disallowed a goal that wasn't a foul. VAR went from non-existent to present, and Brazilians were still on the losing end.
The most blackly humorous part of the complaint letter was the CBF dragging Messi into it. The case they cited was from this World Cup's match between Argentina and Austria. Before Messi scored, Mac Allister had tripped Austrian player Schlager. The VAR checked for offside but didn't review the foul, and the goal stood.
The CBF's logic was straightforward: the body contact from Mac Allister was similar in scale to Vinícius' press on Hendry. Messi benefited, and the goal counted. Vinícius benefited, and the goal was disallowed.
The 3-0 scoreline hung there, with Vinícius having scored two legitimate goals, so Brazilians couldn't simply complain, "We got robbed." They pulled out the ruler and measured it for the world to see: from the same VAR room, different whistles were blown for different people.
After the match, Brazil finished top of the group. Vinícius had four goals on the scoring chart, still one behind Messi. The CBF's complaint was already on its way to Zurich. The pages in the letter pleading Messi's case shone brighter than the 3-0 scoreboard under the Miami night sky.