Did Neymar deserve four-game suspension for his actions?
Neymar’s four-match ban for events that took place following Brazil’s 1-0 loss to Colombia in the group stages of the Copa America will likely be appealed by the Brazilian football federation, but did the CONMEBOL tribunal get the suspension right?
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The first match in the ban resulted from an accumulation of yellow cards, which were dubious at best. Neymar earned his first yellow card for wiping away excess foam from next to the ball while setting up for a free kick. He did not appear to gain any advantage from the action. Considering the meaty tackles that go regularly unpunished at the South American tournament, often on Neymar, it was a soft yellow card.
Neymar’s second yellow card came from a handball as he struck a shot from close distance and the rebound caught his arm and redirected toward the goal. The referee caught the infringement in live time, but considering the speed at which the entire action occurred and the player’s momentum as he fell forward, that could hardly be deemed a certain intentional handball.
In truth, both yellow cards seemed soft. Almost immediately, Neymar reacted with anger and frustration because he knew he would miss the final group stage game. Moments after the handball caution, the Brazilian captain spiked the ball following a foul call and also made a reckless challenge.
Common sense generally does not prevail when yellow card accumulation is the topic, but one would have a difficult time not understanding the player’s irritations with the soft cautions.
However, those dissatisfactions do not excuse the player’s actions following the final whistle of Wednesday’s match against Colombia. Forcefully kicking a ball that struck Pablo Armero would be grounds for an automatic red card, which closely mimicked an action taken by Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas against West Bromwich Albion. Fabregas received an automatic red card for showing his frustration by kicking a ball that struck midfielder Chris Brunt, though it is worth pointing out that Fabregas’ suspension would eventually be reduced to only one match after an appeal.
Even the most ardent Neymar supporters would agree that his attempted head butt on Jeison Murillo warranted a suspension on at least one match. That type of action has no place in the game, and it deserves to be punished by a multi-game suspension. Regardless of how many times he had been kicking during the game or been fouled by the Colombian team, Neymar’s attempted head butt went beyond the game and into the dark realm of violent conduct.
Not helping the Brazilian’s case further, the player reportedly waited for the official in the tunnel and hurled further verbal abuse at the match official following the loss to Colombia. Early reactions hinted that the verbal disrespect served as a defining difference between a one-match suspension, which had been announced on a provisional basis, and a four-match ban, which would eventually be handed down by the disciplinary panel.
Even if common sense prevailed and the yellow card accumulation had been forgiven, the ball striking Armero required at least one match. The attempted head butt likely warranted at least two matches on top of that, and the verbal abuse laid on the match referee should have been multiple matches.
Add those up, and Neymar’s ban should have probably been more than four games. Everything considered, Neymar should consider himself lucky that the ban was not longer and will not affect his participation in World Cup qualifiers.
Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports covering the global game. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA and @perfectpass
