Neymar Suspended for Covered Mouth Incident in Santos Win

Neymar hit with two match ban

Santos star Neymar has been suspended for two matches by Brazil's sports tribunal. The punishment was handed down on Wednesday following an incident in a Brazilian league match against Bahia last weekend.

The former Brazil forward received a red card after using his hand to cover his mouth during a confrontation with Bahia midfielder Rodrigo Nestor. Santos ended up winning the league match 1-0, but Bahia criticized the player after the red card was shown.

Breach of the Vinícius Júnior protocol

The tribunal confirmed that Neymar violated a protocol named after Vinícius Júnior. That protocol was created after Vinícius Júnior accused an opponent of racially abusing him while covering his mouth with a shirt in a Champions League game earlier this year.

In total, Neymar will miss three matches for his club. He faces one match out due to an accumulation of yellow cards, followed by the two match ban for covering his mouth.

Return date and appeal options

The 34 year old attacker is set to serve his first ban for accumulated yellow cards during the league game against Palmeiras on Wednesday. He is not expected to return to action for Santos until late November.

However, Neymar and Santos still have the right to appeal the two match suspension given by the tribunal.

The forward is currently Brazil's all time top scorer with 80 goals in 130 matches. He previously announced that he will retire from international soccer after the 2026 World Cup.