neymar Wounds Santos Dressing Room Row After 2-2 Draw
Dismissed reports of a Santos dressing-room bust-up after the club’s 2-2 draw with Chapecoense, while Santos set an extraordinary meeting to review what…
SAO PAULO — Neymar pushed back hard against reports that he insulted younger Santos teammates after the club’s 2-2 draw with Chapecoense, even as Santos moved to review the alleged incident. The Brazil forward scored both goals in the match, then used social media to reject claims of a heated halftime clash.
The episode landed quickly. It now sits on top of a difficult run for Santos, with the club’s internal mood and Neymar’s role under fresh scrutiny after a result that cost them control of the game.
neymar denies the reports
Goal reported that some Brazilian media outlets alleged Neymar launched a sharp tirade at Gabriel Bontempo, branding him “lowly” and taunting that he would be playing second-division football against Chapecoense next season. The same report said the 34-year-old captain responded online by posting a sarcastic photo with Bontempo.
According to Goal, Neymar and Bontempo later shared a post featuring the caption “You little brat” with a laughing emoji, in what appeared to be a deliberate move to cool the temperature around the story. Goal said Bontempo reposted it, a sign that harmony in the squad had been restored in public view.
Neymar also addressed the matter in an Instagram Story. He said: “What's up, everyone? Hope you're all having a good Sunday. It's obviously not the Sunday we wanted, but that's life. We have to keep our heads high and keep working. Now, I've been seeing reports that I tore into the younger players in the dressing room, which is a complete lie. Whoever is pushing that narrative, please stop. Don't do it. Don't lie.”
He added: “Ask anyone who was inside that room. We held the entire team accountable. Lucas [Verissimo], [Willian] Arao, Gabi [Barbossa], and I all spoke up... We're competitive and we want to win. But nobody was picking on the young players. I'm not going to tolerate people saying that.”
What Santos says it will review
AS reported that Santos called an extraordinary meeting for Sunday to investigate the reported incident and decide whether any action is needed. The club has not publicly detailed what steps, if any, might follow.
AS also said the draw came after Santos had led before surrendering the advantage in the second half. The report added that João Ananias scored an own goal during the collapse, deepening the frustration around the result.
Neither Neymar nor his communications team had commented publicly beyond the Instagram Story quoted by Goal, according to the reports.
The atmosphere matters because Neymar remains the face of Santos, and the club’s response will shape how this story is read inside the squad. If the review leads to a formal internal action, it would place a public spotlight on the relationship between the captain, the younger players and the coaching staff at a time when every point matters.
Yahoo Sports, citing ge, described the relationship between Santos and Neymar as one of “intense turbulence,” and said club sources see tensions involving the board, the squad and the No. 10. The same report said the discomfort has also been felt around day-to-day behavior at the training center, adding another layer to a story that has moved well beyond one draw.
For Santos, the next step is the meeting. For Neymar, it is another round of scrutiny after a game in which he scored twice, denied the dressing-room allegations and tried to shut down the narrative before it hardened further.
