Brazilian football star Neymar has been handed a two-match suspension by Brazil’s Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) after violating a disciplinary rule during a recent match. The sanction stems from Saturday’s 1-1 Brazilian Serie A draw between Santos and Bahia, where the 34-year-old forward served as Santos captain.
Neymar received a red card following an on-field altercation with Bahia midfielder Rodrigo Nestor. According to the sports tribunal, the player was found guilty of breaching the Vinicius Junior rule, which explicitly forbids players from covering their mouths during arguments or confrontations with opponents on the pitch. The referee’s official match report further noted that after being sent off, Neymar ran toward the visiting team’s bench to confront his opponent again and had to be physically restrained by his teammates.
As a result of the ruling, Neymar will be sidelined for a total of three upcoming fixtures. He was already automatically suspended for an upcoming league fixture against Palmeiras due to accumulating three yellow cards, and he will now serve two additional matches specifically for the protocol violation regarding his mouth-covering actions. Neymar and Santos retain the right to appeal the disciplinary ruling.
The tribunal’s decision follows an eventful period for the veteran player, occurring three months after he became the first player in Brazil’s top flight to be temporarily removed from the field under an experimental league rule aimed at curbing time-wasting by goalkeepers. Officials indicate that Neymar is not expected to return to competitive action until late November.
The regulatory framework punishing mouth-covering stems from a unanimous decision by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in April. The FIFA-approved amendment established that players would face a red card for concealing their mouths during confrontations with opponents or other players, an initiative introduced to curb inappropriate behavior ahead of the World Cup.
The rule itself was developed in response to a UEFA Champions League incident involving Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni, who used his jersey to hide his mouth while allegedly directing racially abusive comments toward Vinicius Jr. The protocol has since seen international enforcement, including at the World Cup, where Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron became the first player sent off at the tournament under the same regulation.
