Brazilian football star Neymar has been slapped with a two-match suspension on Wednesday for the offence of covering his mouth while arguing with an opponent during a Brazilian Championship match.
In Brazil, the law forbidding players from covering their mouths while talking to opponents is known as the ‘Vinícius Law’. The law was named after Neymar’s Brazil teammate Vinícius Júnior, who earlier this year accused an opponent of racially abusing him while the opponent covered his mouth with his jersey during a Champions League match.
According to a report in BeIn Sports, Neymar was arguing with Bahía midfielder Rodrigo Nestor which led to the card and the two-match ban. The former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star forward and Nestor had already butted antlers in the first half of the game.
In the second half, they were arguing again when he covered his mouth to say something to Nestor, who rushed over to the referee to complain to him what had happened. The official in question reportedly said that he had not seen the incident with his own eyes but was alerted by the Video Assistant Referee. That led to Neymar being sent off.
In addition, the referee’s report recorded that, after receiving the red card, the attacker “ran towards the visiting team’s bench to confront his rival and had to be held back by his teammates.”
Brazil’s Sports Court handed the two-game suspension for an incident in Santos’ game against Bahia last weekend. Some members of the commission in fact proposed that Neymar be handed a four-match ban, but the majority ultimately imposed two.
The tribunal ruled that Neymar’s actions violated the protocol. The ruling can be challenged by Neymar or Santos. The two-game suspension in essence means that Neymar will actually miss three matches, the first match for an accumulation of yellow cards and the other two for covering his mouth.
While Neymar’s lawyer tried to argue that Neymar had held his hand against his mouth instinctively, the court’s case instructor, Delmiro Campos, noted: “From an objective standpoint, the gesture of covering one’s mouth in a context of confrontation directed at an opponent and the awareness of the illegality are unquestionable.”
Neymar’s defense had argued that “there was no animosity or intense conflict between the players, who were exchanging words in a context of jokes and good humor.”
Neymar will serve his suspension for accumulated yellow cards against Palmeiras in the Brazilian league on Wednesday. He is not expected to be back in action until late November.
Source: Indian Express
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