Santos forward Neymar has revealed he has no idea why he was sent off in Sunday’s 3-1 defeat away to Ponte Preta in the Paulista championship.
Neymar, 21, was given his marching orders after a clash with a Ponte Preta defender Artur, who was also sent off, in the 46th minute.
After clashing for the ball in the penalty area, the two players started to argue with each other until another Ponte Preta player, Cléber, came and pushed the Brazil international in the face, knocking him to the floor.
The referee quickly arrived on the scene and sent both Neymar and Artur off, much to everyone’s confusion.
“I don’t know what happened. We were challenging for the ball, I got kicked and was sent off,” Neymar told reporters.
“Neither of us should have been sent off. Football is getting really boring, for the players, supporters and television viewers.”
Santos coach Muricy Ramalho was angry that Neymar was given a red card as without him his team lost their edge. But the coach believes the forward has to get used to being provoked.
“He needs to keep out of trouble,” said Ramalho. “Without Neymar, we lose his speed, which is our main attacking weapon. We really suffer when he gets sent off.”
Source: Daily Mail
