Fansided

Neymar suspended 4 games, to miss rest of Copa America

By Mike Dyce

Sep 9, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Brazil forward Neymar (10) sits on the ground after being fouled during the second half of their game against Ecuador at MetLife Stadium. Brazil defeated Ecuador 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 9, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Brazil forward Neymar (10) sits on the ground after being fouled during the second half of their game against Ecuador at MetLife Stadium. Brazil defeated Ecuador 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brazilian star Neymar was suspended four games for head butting, will miss the rest of the Copa America tournament.

During Brazil’s loss to Colombia on Wednesday, Brazil and Barcelona superstar Neymar received a red card for appearing to head butt Colombia’s Jeison Murillo. CONMEBOL, South America’s soccer governing body, decided to suspend Neymar for four games.

The length of the ban ends his Copa America game, even if Brazil were to make it to the final.

It wasn’t simply that action that weighed in on the suspension, but his behavior after the fact as well.

“It’s not justified, what he has said and done,” Brazilian legend Ronaldo said on a Globo TV broadcast of Neymar’s recent bad behavior. “He is acting very aggressively and he is not accepting anything that happens.

“In the Brazil jersey, you cannot do that.”

Neymar for his part is playing the pity card, saying the rules are always used against him. This goes against the notion in American sports that stars are over-protected by the referees.

“The rules are always used against me,” Neymar told SporTV after Wednesday’s match. “[Other players] wipe the vanishing spray and do not receive a yellow, but I do… The ball hit my hand but it wasn’t intentional — I was falling — and I received a yellow.”

“Things happen,” he added. “Put a weak referee in to official and this happens. Nothing made me crazy. I just get angry with referees who don’t whistle right.”

He could be referring to an incident with Colombia full-back Camilo Zuniga, who was involved in an incident with Neymar outside of the head butt. During a corner Zuniga was marking Neymar and seemed to catch him in the face, which led to Neymar complaining to the referee to no avail.

Either way, frustration doesn’t excuse anyone from head butting another person.

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