Neymar's Outrage Over Vila Belmiro Pitch After Santos' Copa do Brasil Exit
The mood at Vila Belmiro turned poisonous as Santos slid out of the Copa do Brasil, and the 0-0 draw with Palmeiras felt almost like a sideshow. The real storm broke around Neymar – and the pitch he blamed for his latest injury.
Santos were already chasing a 3-0 deficit from the first leg at Nubank Parque, their fate effectively sealed before kick-off. By half-time, the scoreboard still read 0-0, but the damage had been done elsewhere. Neymar limped off with a right hamstring injury, the third player to go down in a chaotic, stop-start opening 45 minutes.
He didn’t wait long to vent.
On Instagram, Neymar unleashed a furious attack on the grounds staff at Vila Belmiro, tearing into the state of the surface with the kind of precision usually reserved for his dribbling.
“I want to congratulate our groundsman at Vila Belmiro,” he wrote, dripping sarcasm. “Yesterday, it was the worst pitch the stadium has ever seen, riddled with holes, because they had to uncompact it the day before the match. Unbelievable!
“On top of playing against the opposition, we were battling the pitch itself. And to top it all off, we had to put in extra effort during acceleration and braking because the surface was so uneven. It's no wonder three players got injured in the first half. Congratulations, then... What a load of crap job.”
The images on the night backed up at least part of his anger. Neymar’s injury wasn’t an isolated case. Lucas Verissimo exited early with an ankle problem. Barreal also broke down before the interval. Three players, one half, one heavily criticised field.
For Santos, the fallout stretches beyond elimination. According to ESPN, Neymar is now a major doubt for Sunday’s Brasileiro clash away to Internacional at Beira-Rio. The expectation is that he will not feature. That opens the door for Arthur, who is tipped to make his debut in a more advanced role, operating almost as a classic number 10 behind the attack.
Palmeiras Respond
While Santos licked their wounds, Palmeiras saw an opening and pounced.
Never shy when it comes to poking at a rival, the Alviverde used their own social channels to fire back at Neymar’s complaints, turning his rant into ammunition. They drew a pointed comparison between the much-maligned natural grass at Vila Belmiro and the synthetic surface at Nubank Parque, where they had cruised to that 3-0 first-leg win.
“We want to congratulate those responsible for the Nubank Parque field... No matter the day, the grass is always perfect and without holes, because it is cared for daily. You can believe it!” the club posted on Thursday.
Then came the full-on parody, echoing Neymar’s words almost line for line.
“Besides offering a good playing field for the opponent, our athletes feel safer because, during runs, the surface is always even. It's no coincidence that Palmeiras is the Serie A club with the fewest injuries in the last five years... Congratulations, you know? Great job.”
So Santos leave the Copa do Brasil amid boos, injuries, and a public row over the grass, while Palmeiras stride on and twist the knife with a smirk. The next time these rivals meet, the scoreboard may not be the only thing under inspection.
