Brazil’s scathing letter to FIFA over Vinicius
The CBF cries foul over the goal disallowed for Vinicius against Scotland.
Brazil has erupted over another “Vinicius case”. The CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) has filed a formal complaint with FIFA to express its outrage over the disallowed goal scored by No. 7 against Scotland, which would have completed his hat trick. AS has obtained the letter exclusively, in which the federation highlights what it sees as another VAR error at this World Cup and questions the performance of Mexican referee César Ramos.
“One aspect that has particularly drawn our attention during this tournament has been the approach taken by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). Throughout the competition, there appears to have been a clear emphasis on deferring to the on-field referee’s interpretation and limiting intervention to situations involving obvious and clear errors. We believe this philosophy benefits football, preserves the referee’s authority and contributes positively to the flow of the game,” the letter sent to world football’s governing body begins.
The incident occurred in the 22nd minute. After dispossessing Scottish defender Hendrick, Vinicius scored what appeared to be Brazil’s second goal of the match. However, following a VAR review, Ramos disallowed the goal for a foul in the build-up. Although the footage leaves room for interpretation, the officials ruled that Vinicius had tripped his opponent while challenging for the ball. The outcome: a free kick to Scotland. Brazil considers the decision unjust, pointing to several similar incidents that were judged differently during the tournament.
“Several incidents during the tournament appear consistent with this approach, including a possible foul in the attacking phase before Argentina’s opening goal against Austria, a potential penalty incident between England and Ghana in the 78th minute, and another between Senegal and France in the 58th minute. In each case, the decisions made on the field were upheld, which reinforces the perception of a more restrictive VAR intervention threshold,” the letter states. It cites Argentina’s opening goal against Austria as a clear example, arguing that an earlier foul by Mac Allister at the start of the move went unpunished.
“The goal disallowed for Brazil against Scotland in the 21st minute does not appear to be aligned with the philosophy adopted throughout the competition. It is worth noting that the decision seemed unexpected not only for the Brazilian side but also for the Scottish players, whose immediate reactions suggested they had not anticipated either a review or the subsequent disallowing of the goal,” the letter concludes.
E a história da maior Seleção do mundo na Copa do Mundo de 2026 continua. Rumo à fase final! 💛🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/OdxUjyaOUi
— brasil (@CBF_Futebol) June 25, 2026
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