Santos captain Neymar has received a two-match suspension after covering his mouth during an on-field confrontation with Bahia’s Rodrigo Nestor in Saturday’s 1-1 Brazilian Serie A draw, Brazil’s Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) confirmed on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old was shown a red card after the altercation. The STJD found Neymar guilty of violating the “Vinicius Jr. rule,” which prohibits players from covering their mouths during disputes on the pitch.
The referee’s report noted that Neymar, after being sent off, ran toward Bahia’s bench to argue further and was restrained by teammates. As a result, Neymar will miss Santos’ next three matches: one for yellow card accumulation and two for breaching protocol.
Neymar and Santos may appeal the decision, but he is not expected to play again until late November. The suspension follows a previous disciplinary action, in which Neymar became the first player in Brazil’s top division temporarily removed under a new anti-time-wasting rule earlier this year.
