Neymar handed two-match ban over gesture covered by ‘Vinicius Law’

Neymar has been suspended for two matches by Brazil’s sports justice system. Handed down on Wednesday, the ban concerns a gesture by the Santos forward: covering his mouth while speaking with an opponent during a Campeonato Brasileiro match. It is linked to the “Vinicius Law”, which penalizes that conduct in tournaments held in Brazil.

The second disciplinary panel of the Superior Tribunal of Sports Justice ruled that the gesture breached the rule. The decision can, however, be appealed to the tribunal’s full panel.

The referee said he had not seen the incident at first, but was alerted by VAR, after which Neymar was sent off. The referee’s report also says that, after the red card, the forward ran towards the visiting team’s bench to confront his opponent and had to be restrained by teammates.

Delmiro Campos, the case’s investigating officer, described the gesture as “an act of concealing what is being said, which undermines the transparency of the competition and sporting ethics”. He also said that, from an objective standpoint, covering one’s mouth during a confrontation directed at an opponent, and awareness that the conduct was unlawful, were beyond question.

Neymar’s defence argued that there was neither hostility nor an intense conflict between the players, who were exchanging words in a joking, good-humoured setting. Lawyer Marcelo Mendes also argued that not every gesture of covering one’s mouth falls under the law, and that Neymar had raised his hand to his face instinctively.

In last Saturday’s match between Santos and Bahia at Vila Belmiro, Neymar was shown a straight red card before the second half began. The Brasileirão match ended 1-1.