Neymar sent off after Rodrigo Nestor confrontation as insults are decoded

Neymar was sent off after Rodrigo Nestor, a Bahia player, told the referee that he had covered his mouth to insult him. In the Campeonato Brasileiro match, the Santos forward received a straight red card after a video review, with the referee ruling that he had breached the “Vinícius law” applied in the Brasileirão.

Velloso, a lip-reading specialist, interpreted the words exchanged. In his reading, Neymar said to Rodrigo Nestor: “You’re a piece of shit. You’re a piece of shit, you bastard. You’re a piece of shit, bastard, you’re an idiot. Piece of shit.” Rodrigo Nestor had earlier asked him to take his hands off him. Later, he told Kike Oliveira that Neymar had called him “shit” and said he deserved to be at the team he was playing for. Neymar then reportedly replied: “Exactly. I say what I want.”

The Bahia player told the referee that Neymar had covered his mouth. Neymar protested: “You’re not going to do that. Do you want attention?” After the dismissal, Neymar moved towards Rodrigo Nestor, who was shielded by his teammates, and shouted: “Come here, son of a bitch.” Before leaving the field, Neymar also heard Rodinei say he would go after Nestor and make a tackle on him.

At half-time, Rodrigo Nestor said the exchange showed disrespect towards him and the Bahia shirt. He acknowledged Neymar was an idol to many as a player, but said the way he had spoken was wrong. He also criticised the “Vinícius law”, arguing that it allowed dishonesty on the pitch.

Neymar addressed the incident after the game in a social-media post. He said he had been sent off following an argument between players and called the episode “very serious”. He defended the intensity of exchanges during a match, while saying that once the game is over, everyone should go their own way. He also accused Rodrigo Nestor of pretending to have been hit in the face after the ball struck him around the waist, and challenged his comments about education and the example set for children.

After his dismissal, Neymar also said: “I gave an idiot the chance to get noticed.”