Neymar has starred in one of the most controversial expulsions of the day in Brazilian football after being sanctioned for covering his mouth while arguing with Rodrigo Nestor, a player from Bahia. The incident occurred this Saturday, October 24, during the match between Santos and Bahia, corresponding to matchday 32 of the Campeonato Brasileiro, held at the Vila Belmiro stadium. The forward received a direct red card before the start of the second half, after referee Sávio Pereira Sampaio went to the VAR monitor and applied the so-called "Vinícius law", a provision incorporated into the rules of football to combat possible discriminatory behaviors during matches.
The decision sparked the anger of the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player, who tried to approach his opponent again and had to be restrained by several teammates. Neymar acknowledged that he had made a mistake by covering his mouth, but denied having uttered discriminatory expressions and accused Nestor of taking advantage of the regulation to provoke his expulsion. The confrontation ended up becoming the main focus of a match that finished 1-1, after Santos managed to equalize the score in the final minutes despite playing the entire second half with ten players.
What happened between Neymar and Rodrigo Nestor: from the first confrontation to the expulsion
The tension between both players began around the 29th minute of the first half, when Rodrigo Nestor committed a foul on Neymar near the goal line. The Santos captain reacted by throwing the ball at his body, which provoked a discussion between players from both teams. The referee showed a yellow card to Neymar, who continued protesting for several minutes and exchanged words with the Bahia midfielder on different occasions before halftime.
The situation escalated after the first visiting goal. In the 37th minute, Luciano Juba put Bahia ahead, and Neymar protested a possible prior foul that he considered decisive in the play. During the claims, the Brazilian also confronted the rival team's coaching staff and even pushed coach Rogério Ceni, although this action did not result in a new warning.
During the break, Rodrigo Nestor publicly criticized Neymar's behavior in an interview with Brazilian television SporTV. The midfielder stated that the forward had made disrespectful comments against him and against the Bahia shirt, although he avoided revealing the exact words because he considered them inappropriate to reproduce publicly. Nestor acknowledged the player's career but lamented his personal attitude during the match.
When both teams returned to the pitch to play the second half, Neymar addressed Nestor again and, at one point in the discussion, covered his mouth with one hand while speaking. The Bahia player immediately alerted the referee and requested that the action be reviewed. Sampaio, who had not directly observed the gesture, received the VAR alert and went to the monitor. After examining the footage, he decided to expel the Santos forward.
What is the "Vinícius law" and why did it provoke Neymar's red card
Neymar's expulsion occurred through the application of a provision popularly known as "Vinícius law", aimed at preventing players from hiding possible insults or discriminatory expressions when verbally confronting an opponent.
On April 28, 2026, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body responsible for the rules of football, approved a regulatory modification that allows for direct red cards to be issued to players who cover their mouths while maintaining a provocative, offensive, or intimidating confrontation with a rival. Its application depends on whether the competition has adopted this possibility, as is the case in the Brazilian championship.
The measure arose in the context of the discrimination episodes reported by Vinícius Júnior and the concern over situations where some players cover their mouths to prevent cameras from identifying what they say.
However, the expulsion for this behavior does not necessarily imply that the existence of a racist insult has been proven. In Neymar's case, the referee's decision was based on the gesture of covering his mouth during the discussion with Nestor, without the exact content of his words being publicly accredited or any discriminatory manifestation being made.