A surprising number appears on the scoreboard, the wrong player runs onto the pitch - and suddenly all the dams break. Brazil's football is now one memorable episode richer.
18.05.2026, 08:48
18.05.2026, 08:59
dpa
Brazilian football star Neymar is known for his antics on and off the pitch, but this time he was at the center of a highly curious scene through no fault of his own. During the 3-0 home defeat of his club FC Santos against Coritiba on Sunday, the 34-year-old was actually only supposed to receive brief treatment on the touchline, but was not allowed to return to the pitch afterwards - because the fourth official had apparently made a serious mistake with the scoreboard.
It all began when Neymar was treated on the pitch by the team doctor for a calf blister in the 65th minute. The referee then asked them both to stand behind the touchline so that play could continue. Meanwhile, Neymar's team-mate Robinho Júnior was getting ready to be substituted, but was brought on for another teammate, as coach Alexi "Cuca" Stival later explained. The fourth referee, Paulo Cesar Zanovelli, was informed of this. However, when he raised the scoreboard, Neymar's number 10 suddenly appeared. Robinho immediately ran onto the pitch - and there was no turning back.
Although Neymar, various teammates and coach Cuca stormed the refereeing team, gesticulating wildly and demanding that the mistake be corrected, the officials were not dissuaded from their decision: The change was deemed to have been made - and Neymar was shown a yellow card for refusing to accept it. As quasi proof of his innocence, he then presented a piece of paper: full of indignation, the star striker, often scolded for his penchant for theatrics, held the piece of paper into the television camera with which Zanovelli had previously been informed that defender Gonzalo Escobar - shirt number 31 - should have left the pitch. But all protests were to no avail.
"A very bad mistake by the officials"
"I knew Robinho was supposed to come on, but I didn't pay any attention to it. I had no idea that I had been substituted, I hadn't seen the scoreboard," complained Neymar after the game. "That was a very bad mistake by the officials, by that guy who shows the numbers on the board."
However, the game was basically already lost for his team at this point anyway - Santos were already three goals down with less than half an hour left to play. Neymar's coach admitted as much. "It was indeed a mistake. But it wasn't the reason why we lost, so it would be unfair to blame him," Cuca said at the post-match press conference about the referee's lapse. The Brazilian Football Federation initially made no public statement on the incident.
Neymar is likely to be at the center of a controversial decision again on Monday: Brazil national team coach Carlo Ancelotti will then announce his final squad for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. And regardless of whether the injury-prone eccentric will be included or not - there is likely to be criticism of Neymar's (non-)nomination in any case.
