With three red cards in 2026 alone, midfielder Jorginho is enduring his most turbulent season at Flamengo, leaving the team shorthanded for key matches in the Brazilian Serie A and the Copa Libertadores.
Midfielder Jorginho‘s current season has been marked by behavior inconsistent with his professional track record. Following his dismissal in last Thursday’s (8th) 2-2 draw against Santos at Vila Belmiro, the Italian-Brazilian reached a total of three red cards in 2026. This figure is striking due to its disparity: between 2010 and 2025, the player received only two red cards in total, highlighting a sharp decline in his discipline.
This latest episode not only worries Leonardo Jardim‘s coaching staff but also imposes immediate consequences on the club’s schedule. The number 21, a key piece in the tactical setup, is ruled out for this Sunday’s (11th) Fla-Flu derby and will also miss the first leg of the Libertadores semifinal due to an automatic suspension from a previous red card.
The incident at Vila Belmiro and criticism of the officiating
The clash against Peixe was pivotal for Jorginho‘s accumulation of cards. After a VAR review of a handball inside the box, referee Anderson Daronco reversed his initial decision—which was just a foul—to a penalty and a red card for the midfielder. The shift in momentum allowed Santos, led by Neymar, to begin their comeback.
After the match, the player did not hold back his criticism of the officiating. In his view, there was a lack of consistency at different moments of the game:
I’ll be simple and direct. If you have control of the game and choose not to use it, that’s fine. But when we were up 2-0, there was already a sense of bias. In the penalty incident, he managed to create the worst possible scenario. He had the opportunity to change his mind, but he awarded the penalty. There’s no going back; all that’s left is to move on and improve.
Impact on the rest of the season
Jorginho‘s disciplinary instability in 2026 began in the Brazilian Serie A opener against São Paulo and included another significant chapter against Independiente del Valle in the continental quarterfinals. Now, with his absence confirmed for the match against Fluminense and the first leg against Estudiantes (ARG), manager Leonardo Jardim will need to redesign his midfield.
The challenge is doubled, as the team is also dealing with an injury to Arrascaeta, who suffered a wrist fracture. With Palmeiras close behind in the standings, narrowing the lead in the Brazilian Serie A to just one point, Flamengo is entering a critical phase of the season. The coaching staff will have few days to adjust the creative and defensive sectors before heading to La Plata, Argentina, in search of a positive result in the Libertadores.
