A friendly match just before the World Cup spiralled completely out of control. A Portugal star was sent off for violent conduct and now faces severe consequences

Published Jun. 6, 2026 2:01 p.m. ET

GOAL

Rafael Leao made an unnecessary and potentially costly mistake in Portugal's friendly against Chile on Saturday.

Following a scuffle between Portuguese and Chilean players, the AC Milan forward was shown a red card in first-half stoppage time with the score at 0–0. Chilean defender Ivan Roman (Atlético Mineiro) also received a red card and was dismissed.

The incident that led to two red cards began as a routine challenge near the corner flag between Chile right-back Felipe Faundez and Portugal's Joao Cancelo. The Chilean won the challenge and cleared the ball, but Cancelo felt his opponent got back to his feet too forcefully, prompting an annoyed reaction from the full-back, who was most recently on loan at FC Barcelona from Al-Hilal.

The altercation escalated when Leao and Roman, standing nearby, became involved, exchanging shoves before the Portuguese forward swiped his hand across the Chilean's face. Several other players converged, but the situation quickly calmed.

Red card in a friendly: Is Rafael Leão now facing a World Cup ban?

Italian referee Luca Zufferli paused briefly before brandishing red cards to brawling players Leao and Roman. Even Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo's attempts to reason with the official failed to sway the decision. Leao responded with a smug smile and wandered off.

Although Chile is already eliminated from the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, Leao's dismissal could still lead to a ban for Portugal's opening matches in the tournament. Normally, a red card in a friendly leads only to a ban in further friendlies, not in competitive fixtures. For instance, Bayern star Konrad Laimer, who was dismissed for handball as the last man in Austria's 1-0 win over Tunisia earlier this week, had nothing to fear regarding the World Cup.

However, because Leao was dismissed for violent conduct, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee could still extend any ban to official fixtures. Should the world governing body decide to do so, Leao could therefore be forced to watch from the sidelines during the World Cup finals, which begin on 11 June.

Curacao striker Jurgen Locadia, for instance, briefly faced missing his side's World Cup opener against Germany on 14 June after picking up a red card for violent conduct during a 1-4 friendly loss to Scotland at the end of May. However, the ban was ultimately limited to one match, so he will only miss Curaçao's final warm-up against Aruba.

Rafael Leão wants to leave Milan: could a move to Galatasaray be on the cards?

Leao is expecting FIFA to impose only a one-game ban, ruling him out of Portugal's warm-up against Nigeria on Wednesday. If so, he will be free to face co-favourites Democratic Republic of Congo in their opening group match on 17 June. Uzbekistan and Colombia complete the section.

Beyond the tournament, Leao faces an eventful summer: he has announced his departure from Milan after seven years. "I am proud to have made history at Milan, but I want to start a new chapter in my career," he told Portuguese TV channel

Milan are said to be open to offers starting at €50 million, with Manchester United believed to be his preferred destination. Galatasaray are also monitoring the situation, while Leao was repeatedly linked with Bayern Munich last year; the German champions are known to be searching for a new forward, though they now appear close to signing PSV Eindhoven's Ismael Saibari.