Simply unbelievable! Neymar sent off under the 'Vini Jr law'
Neymar’s Saturday night (24th) borders on the unbelievable.
After halftime in Santos’ 1–0 loss to Bahia at Vila Belmiro, the star No. 10 CONTINUED taunting Rodrigo Nestor before play resumed at the stadium known as the Alçapão.
After repeatedly directing comments at the Bahia midfielder, Neymar covered his mouth while arguing with Nestor.
The former São Paulo player then reported the gesture to the referee, who consulted VAR and showed Neymar a red card under the “Vini Jr. Rule.”
In effect since the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the rule instructs referees to send off anyone who covers their mouth while arguing with an opponent.
It was introduced after the Brazil and Real Madrid forward suffered racist abuse from Argentina’s Gianluca Prestianni during a Champions League match against Benfica.
Having already picked up his third yellow card in the first half, also during a clash with Rodrigo Nestor, Neymar will miss two matches—one for each sanction (a third yellow card and a straight red).
As he left the pitch, Neymar also tried to fight the Bahia midfielder.
Still on his way off the pitch, Santos’ No. 10 spoke to the camera about the clash with Rodrigo Nestor and claimed the Bahia midfielder had acted in bad faith.
See how social media reacted to Neymar’s sending-off
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
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