The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has lodged a formal complaint with FIFA over the decision to disallow a Vinicius Jr goal against Scotland, demanding that referee Cesar Ramos should not officiate the Selecao’s matches again.
Despite Brazil’s 3-0 victory in their final Group C match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the federation is unhappy with the VAR intervention that ruled out what would have been Vinicius’ second goal of the game.
The incident occurred in the 21st minute after the Real Madrid forward dispossessed Jack Hendry and calmly beat Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn.
Although Ramos initially awarded the goal, VAR advised the Mexican referee to review the incident before he disallowed it for a perceived foul in the build-up. Brazil believe the contact did not meet the “clear and obvious” standard required for VAR intervention.
The decision angered Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti and his players, prompting the CBF to escalate the matter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
According to Brazilian publication Estadao, CBF president Samir Xaud has formally written to FIFA challenging what the federation described as inconsistent officiating during the tournament.
The CBF also requested that Ramos should no longer be assigned to Brazil’s matches in North America, citing what it described as a “negative history” with the official.
The federation referred to Brazil’s 2018 World Cup match against Switzerland, where it believed Ramos failed to award a clear penalty and overlooked a foul in the build-up to the Swiss equaliser. Brazil also cited another incident involving Argentina captain Lionel Messi to support its argument.
The federation claimed a similar physical challenge in the build-up to Messi’s goal against Austria earlier in the tournament was allowed to stand, arguing that Brazil had not received the same treatment.
In its complaint, the CBF further argued that the decision against Scotland “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.”
The complaint marks the latest chapter in Brazil’s dispute over officiating at the tournament, with the federation seeking greater consistency in the application of VAR decisions.
