Neymar apologizes for red card in what could be his last game with Brazilian club Santos
Brazil's Neymar walk onto the pitch during his debut for Santos FC in a Sao Paulo league soccer match against Botafogo-SP, in Santos, Brazil, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, file)
SANTOS, Brazil — Neymar has apologized for a red card that he says cost Santos a victory in the Brazilian league, claiming that 'desperation' to score led to the mistake in what could be his final match with the club.
Neymar was sent off in the 76th minute of Santos' 1-0 loss to Botafogo at home on Sunday after using his hand to score a goal.
Neymar's contract with Santos ends at the end of June and Santos plays only one more league game before the break for the Club World Cup. Since Neymar is suspended for the next match and there's still no deal to extend his contract, he may not play for the club again in this stint.
Realizing he was not going to reach the ball with his head before a defender could clear it away, Neymar used his right hand to push the ball into the net. The Brazil forward already had a yellow card and was shown his second by the referee, which immediately disallowed the goal. Botafogo then scored the winner in the 86th.
'Desperation to score a goal sometimes leads to mistakes,' Neymar said on Instagram. 'I want to apologize to my teammates and to the fans. I made a mistake, forgive me. If I hadn't been sent off, I'm sure we would have gotten the three points. Congratulations to the team for today's game. You can put these three points on my account.'
Neymar did not have a problem with the second yellow but complained about the first one, which came for a foul late in the first half.
'The second yellow card has to be shown, but the referee has to be kidding about the first one,' he said. 'It's one foul and I'm already being shown a yellow.'
'It's incredible how many bad referees there are out there. That's my opinion, please don't punish me even more,' he said, along with a laughing-face emoji.
Santos has only two wins in 11 league matches this year and sits in 18th-place in the 20-team standings, inside the relegation zone.
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