Rafael Leão sent off in friendly and faces possible World Cup ban

Rafael Leão was shown a red card in first-half stoppage time of Portugal’s friendly against Chile after a scuffle that left the score 0–0. Chilean defender Ivan Roman was also dismissed. The confrontation began with a challenge near the corner flag between Chile right-back Felipe Faundez and João Cancelo, who was recently on loan at FC Barcelona from Al-Hilal.

Leão and Roman exchanged shoves and the Portuguese forward swiped his hand across the Chilean’s face. Referee Luca Zufferli paused before brandishing red cards; Cristiano Ronaldo’s attempts to intervene did not change the decision, and Leão walked off with a smile as the situation calmed.

While red cards in friendlies typically lead only to bans from further friendlies, violent conduct can prompt FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee to extend suspensions to official fixtures. That means Leão could potentially miss Portugal’s opening matches at the World Cup, although precedent suggests bans are sometimes limited.

rafael leão, red card, portugal, chile, ivan roman, joão cancelo, felipe faundez, cristiano ronaldo, luca zufferli, world cup