Neymar furious as he is wrongly substituted

"Neymar was involved in a furious row with officials after Santos claimed the forward had been wrongly substituted in their 3-0 defeat by Coritiba. The 34-year-old was looking to impress a day before Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti names his squad for this summer's World Cup. However, he was substituted after 65 minutes for Robinho Jr when the fourth official held his number 10 up as Neymar was temporarily off the pitch to receive treatment on a calf injury."

"It seemed Gonzalo Escobar should have been the player to make way and Neymar was yellow carded after trying to come back onto the pitch. He then snatched the substitution slip from the officials and held it to a television camera to prove Escobar was meant to come off and not him. Neymar eventually left the field and handed the captain's armband to Escobar."

""The fourth official got the substitution wrong," said a Santos statement on social media. "This was confirmed by the television coverage and by the note used by the officials during the substitution. An inexplicable error that was not corrected." Neymar is Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer with 79 goals but has not played for his country since 2023 amid his struggles with injuries."

"He extended his contract with Santos until the end of 2026 as he targeted a World Cup spot. Brazil will open their World Cup campaign against Morocco on 13 June before facing Haiti and Scotland in the group stages of the tournament, which is being held in Canada, Mexico and the United States."

Neymar was involved in a heated confrontation with match officials after Santos claimed he was substituted incorrectly during a 3-0 defeat by Coritiba. He was taken off after 65 minutes when the fourth official displayed his number 10 while Neymar was temporarily off the pitch receiving treatment for a calf injury. Neymar believed Gonzalo Escobar should have been the player replaced, and he was booked after attempting to return to the field. He then took the substitution slip from officials and showed it to a television camera to demonstrate the intended change. Santos stated the substitution error was confirmed by television coverage and the officials’ note, and it was not corrected. Neymar later left the field and handed the captain’s armband to Escobar. He is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer and extended his Santos contract through 2026 while aiming for a World Cup spot.

Read at www.bbc.com