Neymar sent off for Maradona-style handball in potential Santos farewell
Neymar has spoken about the impact Diego Maradona had on his career after meeting him as a child but his bid to emulate the late Argentine great's " Hand of God" goal backfired on Sunday when he was sent off in what could be his last game for Santos.
With Santos and Botafogo locked at 0-0 heading into the last 15 minutes of their Brazilian league game, Neymar launched himself at a rebound in the penalty area and steered the ball into the net with his hand.
The Brazilian was quickly surrounded by furious Botafogo players before the referee flashed a second yellow card at the forward, cutting short his first start for the club since he made his return from injury last month.
Rubbing salt into the wound, Botafogo scored with four minutes left to secure a 1-0 victory.
The 33-year-old former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker later apologised to his team and fans.
"I made a mistake, forgive me!" he posted on social media.
"Today, if I hadn't been sent off, I'm sure we would have gotten the three points. You can count these three points against me!"
Neymar had returned to his boyhood club Santos in January after a stint at Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, with his contract at the Brazilian side running until 30 June.
The red card rules him out of Santos's match against Fortaleza on Thursday, meaning he will only be able to play for the club again if he extends his contract before the league's resumption in July following the Club World Cup.
Santos are 18th in the league having lost seven of their 11 matches.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Diaz puts pressure on Liverpool and confirms transfer talks with rival clubs
Luis Diaz has attracted the attention of Barcelona though the La Liga champions have seen a move for him fail, with the Liverpool star now speaking out on his future Luis Diaz has put the ball firmly in Liverpool's court after confirming he has held talks with rival clubs over a potential move. Diaz was a revelation when he first arrived at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp and continued that under Arne Slot. With Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah starring on the wings, Diaz has mainly been deployed as a central striker by Reds boss Arne Slot. He played an important role this season, scoring 17 goals in all competitions as they won the Premier League title. But speculation has been mounting since January that he could be on the move. The Colombian has only two years remaining on his contract and with talks over a new deal at an impasse, several top clubs around the world are interested. One of those is Barcelona, though Liverpool firmly rejected an approach from the La Liga champions for Diaz on Thursday. The attacker is currently with Colombia for their World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Argentina over the next week. Diaz was put up alongside manager Néstor Lorenzo for the press conference to preview the clash with Peru. He was inevitably asked about his future and did little to reassure Reds fans that he felt his future is on Merseyside. "I'm very happy at Liverpool, I've always said so. They've welcomed me very well from day one. We are currently in contact with Liverpool, because we are talking to clubs," Diaz said. "That's normal given the transfer market that's opening. We're trying to arrange what's best for us. We're talking to clubs, it's normal in the market and we're looking at what's best for us. 'I'm waiting to see what happens. If they (Liverpool) give us a good renewal or I stay there for two years, I'll be happy. Now it's up to them.' Diaz's comments come after Liverpool informed Barcelona that the 28-year-old is not up for sale. The Reds have insisted that they would only consider eye-watering money for the Colombian. The Spanish champions approached the Reds about signing Diaz but it was rebuffed this week. Liverpool are not prepared to sell the Colombian and their stance will only change if they receive a huge offer that would allow them to replace him with a similar or better player. The Reds have noted that Manchester United ace Bruno Fernandes was valued at £85m by Saudi club Al-Hilal and is two years older than Diaz. So they would want more than that to convince them to sell this summer. Despite that, there are no plans to open contract talks yet with Diaz with only two years left on his contract. Liverpool are ready to maximise his current abilities in his peak years rather than sell for below his valuation just because of his contract situation. That would mean they would be prepared to allow him to leave for nothing in two years. But they are not interested in doing a cut-price deal this summer for a player they believe can still have a big impact.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Hands-on Macron rekindles bromance with Lula
Emmanuel Macron and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held hands and strolled around the grounds of the Elysée on Wednesday. In his latest tactile display, the touchy-feely Mr Macron embraced the 79-year-old Brazilian president on the first state visit from the country's head of government to France since Dilma Rousseff's trip in 2012. Their hand-holding walkabout comes a year after the pair were filmed ambling through the Amazon and posing beneath the soaring canopy in white button-down shirts during Mr Macron's state visit. They were later seen clasping hands on a boat as Mr Macron looked adoringly at Mr Lula, both leaders' faces lit by a gentle sun. The French president later posted on X: 'Some have compared the images of my visit to Brazil to those of a wedding, I tell them: it was one!,' He accompanied the post with a photo of himself and Lula photoshopped onto the movie poster from 'La La Land' in place of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, adding: 'France loves Brazil and Brazil loves France!' Mr Lula replied with the flags of their two nations and an emoji of swirling hearts. 🇧🇷💞🇫🇷 — Lula (@LulaOficial) March 28, 2024 The Brazilian head-of-state is by no means the only world leader to receive Mr Macron's full Gallic charm offensive. In March, the French president engaged in a brotherly hug, a 13-second handshake and warm pats on the back with Sir Keir Starmer during a Lancaster House summit about securing the future of Ukraine and advocating for a 'coalition of the willing' of countries who would join them. Diplomats said the 'bromance' suggested Britain and France are the closest they have been in more than a decade. Mr Macron also got tactile – again – with Donald Trump in February at the Oval Office where there were hugs, back slaps and touching knees as the leaders jostled to use body language as a power play. In a particularly tense moment, Mr Macron interrupted his 78-year-old counterpart as Mr Trump falsely claimed that Europe was 'loaning' money to Ukraine and would get 'their money back'. Mr Macron put his hand on Mr Trump's arm and carefully corrected him: 'No, in fact, to be frank, we paid 60 per cent of the total effort.' In 2018, during one of their meetings in the Vatican, the French president greeted the late Pope Francis by kissing his cheek. Both men were on first-name terms despite a string of disagreements from abortion rights to assisted dying. Mr Macron's hands-on approach led him to break royal protocol on numerous occasions during King Charles and Queen Camilla's trip to France in September 2023. As the monarch greeted crowds in Paris, the French president was seen reaching out to touch Charles on the arm and back. While it is considered only a minor infringement, the move still falls foul of protocol. The pair are known to have a friendly bond, as they were seen chatting at COP26 in Glasgow back in 2021. He also flirted with royal protocol by kissing Queen Camilla's hand. The rekindling bromance between Mr Macron and Mr Lula comes just after the French president received a shove in the face with both hands from his wife Brigitte during a trip to Vietnam as the pair prepared to descend from the presidential plane in Hanoi. The French president later strenuously denied any 'domestic dispute' and complained that this was the latest attempt by 'crazy people', 'fools', and opponents out to smear him at all costs. He told reporters in Hanoi: 'We are horsing around and, really, joking with my wife, and I am surprised by this.' He also lamented the fact that the footage had been turned into 'a kind of global catastrophe where some people are even coming up with theories'. Despite their warm encounter, Mr Macron and Mr Lula don't agree on all diplomatic matters. France has staunchly opposed ratifying the so-called Mercosur agreement, a trade deal between the European Union and four South American nations, including Brazil, over fears a flow of lower-cost agricultural goods would outcompete Europe's farmers. In a further nod to their proximity, Mr Lula said on Thursday: 'Open your heart a little to this opportunity to finalise this agreement with our dear Mercosur.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Venezuela gov't rejects U.S. visa measure, calling it criminalization
CARACAS, June 5 (Reuters) - Venezuela's government on Thursday rejected new U.S. visa measures targeting its citizens, saying they were part of a political "campaign of stigmatization and criminalization". U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday banning citizens of 12 countries from the United States and partially restricting entry of people from seven other places, including Venezuela. The Venezuelan government has repeatedly warned its citizens against travel to the United States, saying in the Thursday statement there are no minimum guarantees of respect or fair treatment for its citizens there.
