Brazilian football has begun implementing new measures to combat deliberate time-wasting, and Neymar unexpectedly became one of the first players affected by them.
Neymar becomes the first player affected by Brazilian football’s new rules
During Santos’ 3-0 victory over Vasco da Gama, the forward was temporarily forced to leave the pitch following a refereeing decision related to a delay caused by the Brazilian.
An unfamiliar situation for the captain
It all happened when Santos goalkeeper Gabriel Brazão requested medical attention during the match. The referee interpreted the stoppage as an attempt to waste time and decided to enforce one of the new rules introduced in Brazilian football.
The measure establishes that when a goalkeeper attempts to unjustifiably delay the match by claiming an injury, one outfield player from his team must remain off the pitch for one minute once play resumes.
Why did Neymar have to leave the pitch?
In these situations, the coach must decide which player serves the temporary punishment. However, Cuca did not select any of his players and, as Santos captain, Neymar ended up being the one who had to leave the pitch for one minute.
The sight of the Brazilian waiting on the sidelines immediately highlighted the effects of a rule designed to reduce stoppages and prevent teams from using medical treatment as a way to waste time.
Santos eventually come out on top
Beyond the incidents, Neymar played the entire match and Santos secured an emphatic 3-0 victory, an important result in their bid to improve their position in the Brazilian championship.
The match, however, also produced one of the first striking images of the new measures implemented in Brazil: a star like Neymar forced to watch from the sidelines because of time-wasting attributed to one of his teammates.
