In the early morning of June 2 (Vietnam time), Santos suffered a 0-1 defeat to Botafogo in round 11 of the Brazilian national football championship. Striker Neymar has been the focus of criticism.
The Brazilian striker returned to play in this match after a short time with injuries. He played poorly in the first half, receiving a yellow card for a foul on a away team player.
In the second half, in the 76th minute, Neymar had a hand to put the ball into the net side of the Botafogo. Immediately, the referee pulled out the second yellow card for this player, which means that he received the red card left. Neymar reacted fiercely to the referee's decision, saying that he was not intentionally in this ball.
However, the main referee still kept Neymar's decision to expel him from the competition. For the remainder of the match, Santos was overwhelmed by Botafogo and conceded an goal in the 86th minute, after a shot by Artur Victor Guimaraes, thereby ending the loss with a minimal score.
This result caused Santos to continue to sink deeper into crisis, falling to 18th place with 8 points after 11 rounds.
On Santos's homepage, fans reacted strongly to the results. Many people have been highly critical of Neymar's handball. A series of long comments expressing disappointment were left under Santos' article announcing the results.
An audience mocked Neymar's ball, considering the Brazilian striker to be a true volleyball player.
Another account commented: "Neymar will never stop being an idol. But unfortunately, he made a lot of wrong decisions. Today, this player did not respect his shirt".
"I can't say anything else. The referee was right in that phase. If Neymar had not put his hand on the ball, perhaps the team would have been awarded a penalty (Neymar fell in the penalty area when being approached by the opponent - PV). A professional player like Neymar is too insensitive in this situation," one viewer criticized.
In February 2025, Neymar signed a 6-month contract with Santos after leaving Al-Hilal as a free player. At Al-Hilal, Neymar has only scored 1 goal in 7 appearances. The main reason for this poor form is the persistent injuries that have ruined the "Little Pele" career.
However, in his hometown team, this striker was also constantly injured and did not leave a good impression.
Neymar Santos' contract will expire on June 30. It is likely that Neymar will have to say goodbye not very happily for the second time being associated with his youth club.
