Neymar sent off for covering Rodrigo Nestor’s mouth in Santos–Bahia 1–1

Neymar (34) was sent off during Santos's 1–1 draw with Bahia on October 25, 2026, after a heated confrontation with Rodrigo Nestor that escalated before the second half. The incident followed a foul in the 31st minute and a verbal exchange at halftime that Nestor says crossed a line.

The sequence began when Nestor fouled Neymar in the 31st minute; Neymar angrily threw the ball at his opponent, who fell to the pitch. The Brazil international tried to help him up and the two benches quickly became involved, with the referee showing Neymar a yellow card at that stage.

At halftime Nestor accused Neymar of insulting him and said he would not repeat what was said because of the many people and children watching. "He knows what he told me. It was a huge disrespect to me and to Bahia's shirt. I think he is an idol to everyone as a player, but today he failed as a person with his behavior. I would never say something like that. I don't want to repeat his words, there are many people and children watching this," Nestor said.

Red card after VAR review

The argument continued before the restart, when Neymar approached Nestor again and covered the Bahia player's mouth with his hand during the exchange. Referee Sávio Pereira Sampaio was alerted and, following a VAR review, issued a straight red card to Neymar.

The dismissal was applied under the so-called Vinícius Júnior rule, introduced in Brazil to deter players from covering an opponent's mouth to conceal abusive or racist language. Neymar reacted angrily to the decision, initially refusing to leave the field and then moving toward Nestor before teammates intervened to separate them.

The confrontation and subsequent interventions stretched the interval between halves to more than 25 minutes, delaying the match that eventually finished 1–1 in the 32nd round of the Brazilian championship.

Photo: press material from the event