Neymar returns amid controversy: “Arrogant referee, he threatened me” | OneFootball

There is no peace for Neymar. Having returned to the starting lineup after two months out due to a thigh muscle injury, the Brazilian star experienced anything but a happy comeback: his Santos was defeated 3-2 by Flamengo, at the end of a tense and nervous match.

Neymar furious on his return: Santos defeated and heavy accusations against the referee

Captain for the occasion, wearing the armband, Neymar struggled to make an impact on the game and showed great nervousness, earning a yellow card for protesting. But things got worse at halftime, when the former PSG player lashed out harshly against the referee. “The referee is terrible,” he told TNT Sports after the match. “Besides being bad, and with all due respect, he is arrogant. That’s the right word. Every time they go into the locker room, they say only the captain can speak. When we try to talk to him, he turns his back and walks away. When I speak to him, he threatens me. It’s complicated.”

The Brazilian number 10 then recounted an episode that led to his booking: “I got a yellow card because he threatened me. He told me: ‘If you come closer, I’ll book you.’ I replied: ‘Can’t I talk to you?’” Finally, Neymar also criticized some of the referee’s decisions: “In my opinion, there was a foul on Brazao, there shouldn’t have been a corner kick or a goal for the opponents. Referees in Brazil make a lot of mistakes. Something needs to be done. The arrogance of today’s referee – whose name I don’t even know – is unacceptable.”

Andrea Alati

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.