In the Women’s Football quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics that concluded in the early hours of August 4, Brazil’s women’s team narrowly defeated France 1-0, advancing to the semifinals where they will face Spain.
In this Olympic group stage, the two teams had already faced each other. At that time, Brazil’s No. 10, Marta, kicked an opponent in the head and was shown a straight red card by the referee. Following the match, Marta received an additional two-game suspension. This means that even if Brazil advances to the semifinals, Marta will still be ineligible to face their rivals.
In response, the Brazilian Football Confederation has appealed to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, protesting the additional punishment. In principle, Marta will be absent from the Olympic Women’s Football semifinal taking place at 03:00 on the morning of August 7.