Latest news with #BrazilianLeague


Gulf Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Neymar apologises for red card in what could be his last game with Santos
Neymar has apologised 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.' Agence France-Presse


CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
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.


Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
'Hand of Neymar' earns Brazilian red card in potential Santos send off
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 St 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 June 30. 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.


Associated Press
4 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Neymar apologizes for red card in what could be his last game with Brazilian club Santos
SANTOS, Brazil (AP) — 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. ___ AP soccer:


Telegraph
4 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Watch: Neymar sent off for ‘Hand of God' handball
Neymar was sent off in what could be his final appearance for boyhood club Santos after trying to emulate Argentine great Diego Maradona's 'Hand of God' by punching the ball into the goal. The Brazil international has spoken about the impact Maradona had on his career after meeting him as a child with the pair pictured together before the Argentina icon's death five years ago. However, the inspiration taken by Neymar appeared to backfire when he appeared to intentionally cheat by scoring with his hand in Santos' Brazilian league game with Botafogo. The match was locked at 0-0 in the 76th minute when Neymar tried to pounce on a rebound under pressure from Botafogo defender David Ricardo. In an effort to get to the ball first, the 33-year-old Brazilian threw his arm towards the ball and punched it goalwards, before being kicked in the head by Ricardo's leading foot. Neymar collapsed to the turf in the goalmouth as team-mates celebrated, but the Botafogo players were furious and quickly protested to the referee that the goal had been scored by a handball. After several minutes of treatment, Neymar got back to his feet and was shown a yellow card by referee Davi de Olivereira Lacerda. But having already been booked in first-half injury time, Neymar was given his marching orders as he was sent off in what could be his last outing for Santos. With the Brazilian league now on hold until mid-July because of the international break and inaugural Club World Cup, Neymar's contract will expire at the end of June and a move to another club could be on the horizon. He was quick to hold his hands up and take the blame for the sending off, with matters not helped by the fact that Botafogo went on to score a winner after his dismissal through Artur's 86th-minute effort. '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 has only started the one match for Santos since returning from injury last month, having rejoined the club from Saudi Arabia side Al-Hilal - having suffered a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury, and the suspension will rule him out of Santos's match against Fortaleza on Thursday before the mid-season break kicks in. Santos are 18th in the league having lost seven of their 11 matches.