Neymar apparently didn’t cope with the agony well.
The soccer superstar was furious Wednesday following Paris Saint-Germain’s shocking 3-1 loss to Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League. PSG was on course to advance to the quarterfinals three minutes into second-half injury time, and the injured Neymar had descended from his luxury suite at Parc des Princes to the sideline in order to celebrate with his teammates when the plot changed. The referee, using VAR to penalize PSG’s Presnel Kimpembe for a handball, awarded Manchester United a controversial penalty kick, which Marcus Rashford converted for the decisive goal.
Neymar’s stunned reaction went viral instantly and has become a meme.
Neymar’s disbelief soon gave way to rage, as he tried to force his way into the referees’ dressing room and confront them over the penalty kick, according to RMC Sport. He might have succeed if not for a PSG staff member, who prevented him from entering.
He used Instagram soon afterward to share a furious tirade over the disputed call.
“This is a disgrace, they put four people that know nothing about football in charge of looking at the replay for VAR,” he wrote, per Sky Sports. “There is no penalty. How can it be a handball when it hits his back! Go f–k yourselves!”
UEFA could ban Neymar three games for his online and reported in-real-life misconduct. But the world’s most expensive player would have to wait until next season to serve his punishment since PSG has exited European soccer’s elite competition early in the knockout rounds … again.
