Neymar sets up Santos win, then faces backlash over remarks deemed sexist | OneFootball

Neymar set up Santos’s 2-0 win over Remo. According to L'Équipe, his post-match comments about the referee then sparked a row in Brazil over remarks deemed sexist.

During the overnight fixture from Thursday into Friday, the forward teed up Thaciano for the 40th-minute opener and stood out, underlining his uptick as he pursues his 2026 World Cup dream from 11 June to 19 July.

A flurry of robust challenges late on culminated in a heavy contact from Diego Hernandez. Neymar rose to remonstrate without physical confrontation and was booked by referee Savio Pereira Sampaio. The yellow card rules him out of the upcoming clash with Flamengo.

Afterwards, he said the booking was unjust, arguing he had been caught by a dangerous late tackle, not for the first time, and punished for protesting. He also claimed the official wants to be the star of the match and disrespects players, adding that the referee had woken up like Chico.

That phrase is commonly used to describe someone in a bad mood for no clear reason. Its origin is more contentious, deriving from chiqueiro, meaning pigsty, and linked to a time when menstruation was labelled dirty or impure. Being de Chico could mean dirty or unpleasant, a connotation now judged sexist by many observers.

He later said he was pleased to help his team and satisfied with the three points, calling that the most important thing. In Brazil, however, it is his outburst that has taken centre stage.

Source: L'Équipe