Neymar cops criticism again after Rio carnival outing

Sao Paulo: Neymar’s justification for missing a semifinal with Santos was criticised because he was seen at Carnival last week.

Santos lost to arch-rivals Corinthians 2-1 on Sunday in the semifinals of the Sao Paulo state championship, and Neymar sat on the bench for all 90 minutes. On Monday, he said he had a minor injury without elaborating.

Days earlier, the striker was photographed at Rio de Janeiro’s Sambadrome, the venue for the glitzy Carnival parade.

Neymar, who rejoined his boyhood club Santos in January, attended the Carnival parade only hours after being substituted in the second half of another Sao Paulo state championship match on March 2 because of an apparent left thigh injury.

He recently recovered from an ACL tear that sidelined him for more than one year.

Santos did not reveal Neymar had any injuries before Sunday’s semifinal.

“All I wanted was to be on the pitch and help my teammates in some way,” Neymar said on Instagram. “But last Thursday I felt a discomfort that prevented me from being on the pitch. We took a test this morning and I ended up feeling it again.”

Santos coach Pedro Caixinha said he asked Neymar to stay on the bench despite the injury. “It was just a discomfort, but it meant he couldn’t participate. It was my request and he agreed to be with the squad,” Caixinha said in a news conference after his team’s elimination. “He’s a different player, he is enlightened.”