Judges’ mistake: Neymar was replaced by a substitute player by mistake before the match was announced. It was a mistake made by the referees. This was the last match before the announcement of the Brazilian team’s roster for the World Cup.
The match between Santos and Coritiba turned out to be a complete disaster for the hosts. By the time of the incident, the score was 0:3. The team’s captain was injured and needed medical attention. At that moment, the assistant referee initiated the replacement process, putting Robinho Jr. on the field instead of the 10th player. Since the player with that number wasn’t on the field at all, the referees decided that the replacement was acceptable.
Neymar and the team’s coaching staff immediately protested against this decision. According to the match plan, the defender Escobar (number 31) was supposed to leave the field. But the match had already started, and it was impossible to overturn the decision during the match.
Neymar’s emotions led him to protest against the unfair decision. He took the referee’s decision and showed it to the cameras during the broadcast. This embarrassing moment became a topic of discussion on social media, and it became the basis for viral memes.