Why was Neymar angry at his substitution and will he play in the World Cup?

"Neymar was mistakenly substituted during Santos's Serie A match against Coritiba after match officials signalled the wrong player number. The striker was left fuming after the fourth official held up the substitution board with Neymar's number 10 on display, forcing the player to come off the pitch in the 65th minute. Robinho Jr came on to replace Neymar, who refused to leave the field and ended up receiving a yellow card for his behaviour."

"Neymar, angered by the apparent error on the official's part, had to be hauled off the pitch. He insisted that teammate Gonzalo Escobar was to be substituted. The Santos captain then gesticulated at the official, snatched the substitution slip from him, and showed it to television cameras to prove that Escobar's name was on the paper instead of his own."

"Santos lost the match 3-0 and are close to the relegation zone with 18 points from 16 games. The club later confirmed the match official made an erroneous substitution. The fourth official got the substitution wrong, Santos said in a post on X. 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 argues with a match official during the Brazilian league match between Santos and Coritiba"

Neymar is attempting to return to Brazil’s national squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 after not playing for the country since October 2023. He is working to prove fitness before the squad submission deadline while dealing with a history of injuries and limited playing time. During Santos’s Serie A match against Coritiba, match officials signalled the wrong player number, leading to Neymar being substituted in the 65th minute. Neymar refused to leave the pitch, received a yellow card, and insisted teammate Gonzalo Escobar should be the one substituted. Neymar gestured at the official, snatched the substitution slip, and displayed it to television cameras. Santos lost 3-0 and later confirmed the substitution error.

Read at www.aljazeera.com