Neymar criticises unfair refereeing in Brazil

Brazil superstar Neymar has voiced concerns over the attitude of Brazilian referees towards players, adding that he felt that an official recently attempted to intimidate him during a match.

Neymar, 20, has found his career consistently surrounded by debate over officials, with many major figures in the Brazilian game feeling that the mercurial talent receives little protection against aggressive defending.

Only last month, Santos manager Muricy Ramalho suggested that his team's star would be better off leaving the country after seeing a red card in a match when he was the subject of some crude challenges from opposition defenders.

"To make mistakes is human, whether it's the referee or the player," Neymar told Lancenet. "Everyone makes mistakes.

"I was very annoyed in a match recently. I had the ball, running shoulder-to-shoulder with a defender, and the referee, who was to the side, shouted to me to "Stay on your feet".

"I played the ball and asked him why he said it. I don't think it's right. It is bad that something like this will happen. I haven't told anyone about this until now because it's annoying.

"He was not letting me play in peace. He wants to say that I dive? You journalists know that I'm small and sometimes I will fall to protect myself, to prevent injury. I don't want to simulate anything."