June 6 – Brazil’s Neymar remains in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. On Wednesday he limped off the field in a 2-0 warm-up win over Qatar with a ligament injury that will keep him out of the Copa America on home soil.
The Copa America hosts warmed up against invitees Qatar in Brasilia, but Brazil’s turbulent preparations for the continental championship took a turn for the worse when their talisman hobbled off in the 17th minute. He had to be carried to the dressing room with his right ankle wrapped in ice. Following medical tests, a ligament fracture ruled Neymar out of the tournament which kicks off with the curtain raiser Brazil vs Bolivia on June 14.
“Neymar was evaluated and underwent scans that confirmed a ligament rupture in the ankle,” said a statement from the Brazilian Football Confederation, the CBF. “Due to the seriousness of the injury, Neymar will not recover in time to participate in the Copa America in Brazil.”
The Brazilians still cruised past the Asian champions in a routine 2-0 victory, but the news will be a blow to Brazil’s title hopes and cap off one of the most turbulent days in Neymar’s career. He was stripped of the captaincy last month and at the end of May he was accused of rape. In a TV interview on Wednesday the woman who has accused Neymar, spoke out for the first time.
Najila Trindade Mendes de Souza said she had agreed to have intercourse with Neymar, but when she told him they couldn’t because he didn’t have a condom, he “turned aggressive”. The news has dominated the headlines in Brazil and was also a talking point on the sidelines of Conmebol’s extraordinary congress in Paris. Last year Neymar was at the end of global criticism for his histrionics at the Russia World Cup.
The Copa America kicks off on June 14 in Sao Paulo and ends July 7 at the Maracana.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1713564702labto1713564702ofdlr1713564702owedi1713564702sni@o1713564702fni1713564702