Brazil striker Neymar faces punishment from his club Santos after criticising his club coach for not being allowed to take a penalty kick in a Brazilian league match.
Neymar berated coach Dorival Junior in front of his teammates and reporters when he was prevented from taking the spot-kick in Wednesday’s match.
Santos beat Atletico Goianiense 4-2 at Vila Belmiro Stadium but Neymar’s rant dominated the headlines in Brazilian media on Thursday.
Junior said club directors will later decide on a punishment for the 18-year-old striker, who recently turned down a move to Chelsea in the summer.
Neymar later wrote on Twitter that he respects, likes and admires coach Junior.
“It’s all good!” he wrote. “We are together, professor.”
Neymar said the outburst on the field came from someone “who always wants to win.”
Atletico Goianiense coach Rene Simoes heard Neymar criticising Junior and said he was appalled.
“Very few times I’ve seen someone behaving like this in sports,” said Simoes, a former coach of Costa Rica and Jamaica. “It’s time someone tries to educate this kid, we are creating a monster in Brazilian football. Someone has to educate him for the good of Brazilian football.”
Fans near the field also appeared to be stunned by the rant, and later chanted support for coach Junior.
Earlier this year Neymar escaped punishment from a sports tribunal after he accused a referee of being a thief in a post on Twitter. He claimed his page was hacked and the tribunal ruled there was not enough evidence to prove he was responsible.
He turned down £35 million offer from Chelsea in the summer and extended his Santos contract until 2015.
