Overview
- Referee Gustavo Holanda Souza recorded that São José forward Micael was shown a straight red card after he left the pitch to urinate beside his team’s substitutes’ bench.
- Because the dismissal took place before the match began, São José were permitted to replace Micael in the starting XI and did not have to play a man short.
- Substitute Tche Tche took the replacement spot, scored São José’s opening goal, and the team went on to win 2-1 over São Caetano.
- São José posted a public apology calling the behaviour unacceptable and a learning experience, and reports note Micael is on loan from Sport; the episode quickly went viral online.
- The case highlights a rarely seen rule consequence in football where the timing of a red card changes its match impact and may lead to separate disciplinary follow-up because the player is banned from participation but the team can name a replacement before kick-off.