Neymar da Silva has come out swinging. The Brazilian star flatly denied reports that he had reprimanded young players in the Santos squad during the interval of the 2-2 draw against Chapecoense, branding the media coverage "malicious lies" and insisting the dressing-down was aimed at the whole team, not any individual.
According to the Brazilian newspaper "Globo Esporte", Neymar vented his anger at two of his younger teammates between the halves. He allegedly called Gabriel Bontempo a "fool" and suggested he play for Chapecoense, bottom of the Brazilian league table, next season.
João Ananias also felt his fury. Neymar questioned the technical ability of the midfielder, who scored an own goal in the 62nd minute, sparking widespread displeasure among the players, the coaching staff and members of the board of directors.
Fiery response via Instagram
Neymar wasted no time hitting back. In a video clip on his Instagram account, he said: "I see some rumours spreading about me reprimanding the younger players in the dressing room. This is not true at all. I ask whoever posted these words not to do so, don't lie."
His tone hardened as he went on: "You can ask anyone in the dressing room, it was a reprimand of the team. I spoke, and Lucas, Araão, Gabi and Brazão spoke... everyone, and of course there were reprimands, because we are competitors who want to win, but there were no reprimands of the younger players."
Categorical rejection of the lies
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain man dug in, rejecting what he called "lies". He added: "From now on, I will not accept those lies you spread on the internet. A reprimand in the dressing room, regardless of who is doing the reprimanding, is a normal thing. Those who publish these malicious and false reports understand nothing, they do not know what football is and have never been part of a team."
A strange celebration and a yellow card
The drama on the pitch had already made him the story. Neymar opened the scoring in the 36th minute, then mimicked playing poker before sprinting to the corner flag to swing it like a golf club, a pointed message to his critics. Moments later he picked up a yellow card for pushing two opposition players, a booking that rules him out of the next match through accumulation.