Brazil’s new wonder kid Neymar is set to miss tonight’s Sao Paolo Clasico against Corinthians as coach Dorival Junior aims to teach the teen star a lesson for his petulant display against him during their 4-2 victory over Atletico GO a week ago.
Neymar was furious when Dorival denied him the chance to take a penalty which he had earned choosing team mate Marcel over him. Clearly not amused, Neymar turned his back on the penalty and immediately there after, proceeded to confront Dorival from the sidelines.
As punishment for his actions, Dorival left Neymar out of the squad that faced Guarani during the weekend. Dorival also made it clear that Neymar’s punishment would continue for at least another game.
“I do not like punishing people, and any trainer would like to have Neymar at his disposal. But there was a big problem, an insubordination, and it is necessary to take this stance,”
“This is not a pleasant situation. I don’t wish this kind of thing to happen to anyone. When you punish a soldier, it means that somewhere down the line you made a mistake too. What I am doing is for his own good, and at some point you are all going to understand why.”
Embarrassed by his own actions, Neymar was quick to offer an apology to all his fans and his coach.
“I am not here to make excuses, but to apologise to everyone who enjoys football. The real Neymar is not the Neymar you saw yesterday. The real Neymar is a joyful player, always happy and with a smile on his face. I came home and saw what I did, and I was embarrassed.”
This is definitely a good reason why the youngster should stay in Brazil at least until he learns how to handle himself in such situations. That said, the matter should not be taken out of proportion. Neymar is only 18 and being the idol of his club and nation, he feels the burden of trying to live up to such expectations.
However, i am in total agreement with Coach Dorival’s actions. Neymar has to be punished so that he can learn from his mistakes otherwise, what he did a week ago could signal be the beginning of a dangerous trend.
Photo credit: from Teofilo Pereira2010
