The Brazilian superstar vented his fury after being dismissed for his part in a brawl during Paris-Saint Germain’s defeat to Marseille, having claimed he had heard a racist comment
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Neymar vented his fury in an X-rated outburst after he was one of five players sent off following a brawl that marred Paris-Saint Germain’s defeat to Marseille.
The Brazilian superstar was given his marching orders along with PSG teammates Layvin Kurzawa and Leandro Paredes, while Marseille pair Jordan Amavi and Dario Benedetto were also shown red.
Neymar was dismissed after appearing to throw a punch at Alvaro Gonzalez during the melee, which broke out in injury-time during a 1-0 defeat for the Ligue 1 champions.
As former Barcelona star Neymar left the pitch at the Parc des Princes, he was seen telling the fourth official that he had been subjected to racism.
And he was clearly fuming when he took to Twitter in the aftermath of the controversy.
Neymar’s tweet, which was posted in his native Portuguese, translated as « The only regret I have is for not being in the face of this asshole » – which has been widely interpreted to mean he regrets not punching him in the face.
However, Gonzalez later made his own stance on the matter, tweeting: « There is no place for racism. »
Even before the brawl, the match had already been a tumultuous affair, with 12 yellow cards having been dished out.
But it all kicked off towards the end as Benedetto and Paredes started the tussle, with stars from both sides quickly piling in, and Kurzawa and Amavi trading blows.
After peace was restored and the cards put away, PSG played the remainder of the match with eight men on the pitch and Marseille nine.
Asked about Neymar’s claim after the game, Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas was unable to confirm he had heard anything, but said: « Racism is unacceptable in football. »
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Marseille winger Florian Thuavin, who scored the only goal, hit out at the ruckus, saying: « A lot of children were watching tonight, we all have to be examples. »
PSG Sporting Director Leonardo slammed referee Jerome Brisard, adding: « I don’t understand why for a match like this we don’t have Turpin or Bouquet.
All five players were sent off in stoppage time, but the match itself was a fiery affair with no fewer than 36 fouls committed.
Last year’s Champions League finalists Paris Saint-Germain have got off to a terrible start in Ligue 1 this season, losing both of their opening matches.
This Sunday they were again beaten 1-0, having failed to score in either of their opening games for the first time since the 1978/79 season.
Villas-Boas was pleased with his side’s victory, describing it as: « A tough and important win as well as a historic one.
« We struggled to cope with PSG’s early pressure because they are very good at it, but we found a way to grind out a great victory. It wasn’t pretty and we suffered. »