Neymar sparked a heated confrontation with match officials after Santos said the forward was incorrectly substituted during their 3-0 loss to Coritiba.
The 34-year-old was trying to make a strong impression ahead of the day before Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti was set to announce his squad for this summer’s World Cup.
But Neymar’s evening turned volatile after he was taken off after 65 minutes. Robinho Jr replaced him after the fourth official raised Neymar’s number 10 while the player was temporarily off the pitch receiving treatment for a calf problem.
At a glance
- Santos lost 3-0 to Coritiba in the match in question.
- Neymar was substituted in the 65th minute for Robinho Jr.
- Santos claimed Neymar was wrongly replaced.
- Gonzalo Escobar was, in Santos’ view, the player who should have come off.
- Neymar was booked after attempting to return to the field.
- Santos said TV footage and an official note confirmed the error.
- Neymar is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals.
- He has not played for Brazil since 2023 due to injury concerns.
- Neymar extended his Santos contract through the end of 2026.
- Brazil’s World Cup opener is against Morocco on 13 June.
In Santos’ telling, the change should have involved Gonzalo Escobar instead. Neymar was shown a yellow card after he tried to get back onto the pitch.
Moments later, Neymar grabbed the substitution document from the officials and held it up toward a television camera, aiming to demonstrate that Escobar—not him—was the intended player to be withdrawn.
Eventually, Neymar left the field and handed over the captain’s armband to Escobar.
Santos later issued a statement on social media, insisting the fourth official had made the wrong call. The club said it was “confirmed by the television coverage” and by the written note used by officials at the time of the substitution.
The statement added that the mistake was “inexplicable” and claimed it “was not corrected.”
On the international front, Neymar remains Brazil’s all-time top scorer, with 79 goals, but he has not featured for his country since 2023 amid ongoing injury setbacks.
He has also secured his long-term future at Santos, extending his contract until the end of 2026 as he continues to target a place at the World Cup.
Brazil begin their World Cup campaign against Morocco on 13 June, before taking on Haiti and Scotland in the group stage. The tournament is scheduled across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
