Apolonia Overview

A swarm of bees halts a match

Santos head coach Cuca has jumped to the defence of Neymar following a frustrating display in the Copa do Brasil, albeit while admitting the superstar forward was "a bit below par" during their 0-0 stalemate against Cortiba. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain man’s performance compounded another difficult evening for the Brazilian side, who have managed just one win in their last six outings, and Cuca has confirmed he won't play in their next fixture.

They say you should never meet your heroes, but Brazilian teenage prodigy Dell probably wouldn't agree. The Bahia and Brazil Under-17s striker has idolised Erling Haaland since he was a child, so imagine the excitement he got when, one day in training, he received a video message from the Manchester City hitman.

Botafogo owner John Textor faces intense fan backlash amid a woeful 2025 season that has seen the club eliminated from two major cups and fall short in the Brasileirao. Supporters protested at Nilton Santos Stadium, labelling the ex-Crystal Palace stakeholder a 'clown and swindler' and citing the instability seen across his multi-club empire. The mounting crisis forced the club to reinforce security ahead of their fixture against Bahia.