By FRANCO PANIZO
If Brazil is to win a ninth Copa America this summer, it will have to do so without captain Neymar.
CONMEBOL decided on Friday to increase Neymar’s suspension from one game to four for the star attacker’s actions in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Colombia. Neymar had initially been handed a two-match ban for attempting to head-butt Colombian defender Jeison Murillo, but the punishment was reduced to one game on Thursday.
The Copa America disciplinary board then reversed course and decided to meet on Friday to determine Neymar’s punishment.
The 23-year-old Neymar was not only given a longer ban that will run through the remainder of the tournament in Chile but also fined $10,000 for his actions.
Brazil is currently in first place of Group C with three points and a 1-0-1 record. It next takes on Venezuela on Sunday.
What do you think about Neymar’s ban being stretched to four games? Does Brazil have a shot at winning the competition without him? Who should take Neymar’s place in the lineup?
Share your thoughts below.
His actions are beyond suspension and a merely 10k fine. He degrades the sport of soccer not only by aggressively kicking the ball to adversary’s team player Armero’s back well after the game ended, and also head butting Murillo, but also by waiting for the referee at the tunnel to assault him by the neck and degrading him with profanity… It’s a worldwide disgrace to fútbol sport.. http://youtu.be/r42uQFGzmbA
Well ….you are being a sensationalist. This whole Dempsey issue is being overblown in my opinion, he messed up and lost his head. Dempsey is a fiery character for better or worse, it’s how he got this far in the game. He went overboard and is getting punished end of story. Teach your kids how to behave in and out of sports and you don’t have to worry about how this will affect them.
What many of you fail to realize is the message this sends to young soccer players and his peers. While this is not assault in the “conventional” sense…what form will it take a week from now or a year from now. Not to be sensational, but I can still recall the news about the referee that had his head cut off in Brazil. it’s the beautiful game, not the brutal game. Referees don’t necessarily deserve respect but the game absolutely does. Disrespect like this is a poison that needs be cut out of soccer. Deuce should know better.
We are all failing to note that Dempsey was in a domestic league/cup where there a lot more games scheduled. Neymar is in an international tournament with FAR fewer games.
So it’s almost the equivelant of Dempsey having been suspended the rest of the season as Neymar is very likely done for Brazil’s entire Copa America run.
The sad part won’t be the kid trying to emulate him, it will be if they emulate the act and no one (parent/coaches/teammates) reprimands him or calls him out for his horrible behavior, letting him think it’s ok.
I played sports my whole life and have had favorite athletes do dumb things but never thought to myself “hmmm maybe i should start doing that”. I loved allen iverson but never thought practice was a worthless concept.
The problem with what Clint did is now his example will be followed by many lower level plays.
It will be sad when I see something like this at one of our youth league games. And they will want to be like the pros, believe me.
I think every non-player than came onto the field during that fracas should be given a four match ban too.
Don’t worry Brazil fans, on Saturday they will meet and reverse course again and reduce his ban to 1 game.
Yeah, after Nike gives them a call.
WOW.
Your move USSF. Time to show we’re better than ‘”them”
What Neymar did was more violent and potentially dangerous than what Clint did..
According to the laws of the game Dempsey attacked a referee. There’s nothing worse than that.
Yeah, he totally “assaulted” that referee. Haha.
Chris,
Try walking up to someone that you have just said a lot of curse words to, take something out of their pocket like a phone or a wallet, and then bust it up or rip it up in front of them.
Do this on Bourbon Street about 2:30 AM.
Let me know how it goes.
Yeah, can you imagine a player in any other major sports league doing that and only getting three games? NFL would be multiple game suspension and its a much shorter season.
Actually, it has happened… Remember when Bart Scott picked up the refs flag and threw it into the stands….? He wasn’t ejected and I don’t remember a suspension either, just fined. This whole thing is ridiculous, the comparison to Neymar isn’t valid. He headbutted a competitor and then had to basically be drug off the field by his FA to keep him from fighting.
You’re comparing taking a referee’s note book IN A SOCCER GAME and ripping it with stealing someone’s cell phone, OR WALLET, at 2:30 AM on Bourbon Street? What???
COMMON SENSE PLEASE. What Clint did was petulant, childish, and excessively disrespectful. He was punished accordingly. It was not assault by any CONVENTIONAL definition of the word.
If you think it was, try your own little experiment on Bourbon Street at 2:30AM. You’ll quickly learn what assault really is.
Such outrage.
GW, he’s got a point. you’re comparing apples to oranges
Rob, there is a big difference between “attacking”, “assaulting” and “abusing”… Also, there’s A LOT of things worse than ripping up a refs notebook…
“Also, there’s A LOT of things worse than ripping up a refs notebook…”
Gee, who knew thanks for clearing that up.
i replied to a comment of “According to the laws of the game Dempsey attacked a referee. There’s nothing worse than that.” so MY point was that obviously there ARE things worse…
thanks for the redundancy tho…
#TrollFail
Rob…your conflating “laws of the game” and common sense. He didn’t attack him. Sounds like Neymar tried to attack another player. Big difference.
So Neymar got one more match then Dempsey, not exactly a massive difference in punishment. Only seems that way because of the matches Neymar is mssing.
Rob just like to bash US Soccer. Sometimes he has to really stretch for reasons to do so but that doesn’t seem to bother him.