Neymar sent off for covering his mouth as Santos draw 1-1 with Bahia

A sending off at Vila Belmiro

Santos drew 1-1 with Bahia at the Vila Belmiro in the 32nd round of the Brasileirão, a game overshadowed by Neymar's sending off in the early hours of Sunday, 25 October. Neymar had been in a running dispute with Bahia midfielder Rodrigo Nestor for most of the match, and according to Telegraaf the argument flared again shortly before half-time. The decisive moment came when Neymar spoke to Nestor with his hand over his mouth, which Nestor flagged to referee Sávio Sampaio, who had not seen it himself. After the VAR called him to the monitor, the referee reviewed the footage and showed Neymar a red card. Neymar tried to get at Nestor, and teammates had to hold him back. Bahia's substitutes protected Nestor, and SAPO reports that the second half was delayed by more than 25 minutes.

Neymar's account

Neymar posted a video on social media on Saturday night in which he apologised to Santos supporters and said he had been sent off fairly. He argued that he had said nothing to Nestor and that the opponent had raised a hand to get him booked, which he called the dirtiest trick in football.

“First, I want to apologise to the Santos nation, I was sent off fairly.”

He also accused Nestor of using the anti-racism rule to gain an advantage in the game, asking how a law created against racism could be used that way. He called Nestor 'safado', a word closer to 'sly' or 'dodgy' in English, and said he would sleep calmly while Nestor would not. He added that he could have done the same thing as Nestor but chose not to.

Nestor's response

Nestor told Sportv as he left the pitch that he and Bahia had been insulted, and he said Neymar had failed as a person through the way he spoke. He said he had offered Neymar a handshake and described the reply that followed.

“I went to shake his hand and he threw the ball at me.”

Nestor said he had heard a series of things afterwards, but declined to repeat them because many children were watching. He also described Neymar as an idol for football fans while saying the player had failed on this day.

The rule behind the decision

The sanction applies when a player covers his mouth during an exchange on the pitch, a gesture that IFAB introduced shortly before the World Cup. The rule followed an incident in February 2026 in the Champions League, when Vinícius Júnior said he had been the target of a racist insult from Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni while Prestianni had his mouth covered. Miguel Almirón was sanctioned under the rule during the last World Cup while playing for Paraguay, and Neymar is now among the players penalised.

Result and disputed record

Bahia took the lead when Luciano Juba struck from outside the box five minutes before half-time. Luan Peres headed in an equaliser in stoppage time at 90+3, meeting a corner taken by Rollheiser, a former Benfica player. Neymar also picked up a yellow card earlier in the game, and according to SAPO that booking rules him out of the next match against Palmeiras through accumulation. Coverage disagrees on his career total, with Telegraaf calling this his 14th red card and RTBF describing it as his sixth.