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Neymar became the latest victim of the 'Vinícius Júnior rule' during Santos' 1–1 draw against Bahia in Brazil's Serie A on Saturday, earning a red card for shielding his mouth during a confrontation with an opposition player.
Played out on a heavily waterlogged pitch in São Paulo, the match was a fractious encounter from the outset, with Neymar picking up a yellow card in the first half for hurling the ball at Bahia defender Rodrigo Nestor after being on the receiving end of a foul.
Brazil's record goalscorer then avoided further consequences for pushing Bahia's head coach, the iconic former shot-stopper Rogério Ceni. With tensions running high, Neymar was ultimately dismissed after placing his hand over his mouth during an exchange with Nestor.
As players prepared for the second-half restart, Neymar was captured on camera apparently taunting his opponents, who seemed to be doing their utmost to pay him no attention as Santos' No. 10.
Neymar was observed homing in on Nestor before covering his mouth, which prompted the defender to flag the incident to the referee, who then produced the red card following a VAR review.
After receiving his marching orders, Neymar lost his composure entirely. The moment ignited a minor scuffle, with the forward having to be held back by his own teammates before he finally made his way off the field.
'Today He Failed As a Person'—Neymar and Nestor Trade Insults
Neymar é expulso por falar com Rodrigo Nestor com a mão na boca.#futebol #santos #bahia #brasileirao #Neymar pic.twitter.com/9N1vRN3nNm
Speaking in the aftermath of the game, Neymar vowed to settle the score with Nestor, stating: "We were just having a chat in the middle of the pitch, messing around, laughing together.
"Then I went to say something to Nestor—I was wrong to put my hand over my mouth, fair enough, but I hadn't even said anything yet when he raised his hand. It's one of the most underhanded moves in football! But I'll have my revenge on Nestor at some point."
Nestor branded the former Paris Saint-Germain star "disrespectful," adding: "While he may be an idol to everyone as a footballer, today he failed—he failed completely as a person—because of the manner in which he spoke. You simply shouldn't behave like that."
Apparently still fuming later that night, Neymar took to social media to accuse Nestor of being "underhanded" by exploiting the newly introduced regulation.
"What Nestor did to me today is, in my opinion, extremely serious," Neymar wrote on Instagram. "It's serious because there's a law in place against racism, and he tried to gain an advantage in the match by claiming I said something—even though I had my hand over my mouth and didn't utter a single word to him. Obviously, we were exchanging insults—taking shots at each other—and that's fine; it's part of the game. But what he did is very serious.
"We were just fooling around—I was joking with the two centre-backs—and he used that to try and get an edge. That is very serious. There's a law against racism—how could he pull something like this? It's unbelievable. I'm deeply upset about what happened, because he was being completely two-faced."
What Is the Vinícius Jr Rule?
Introduced by football's governing body the International Football Association Board (IFAB) ahead of the 2026 World Cup, referees were given the power to show a red card if a player deliberately covers their mouth while addressing an opponent or official during a heated moment.
The rule stems from the high-profile controversy involving Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni and Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior last season, and is designed to address concerns that players may be attempting to conceal abusive or discriminatory language from cameras and match officials.
During a Champions League encounter between Benfica and Madrid at the Estadio da Luz, Prestianni was filmed pulling his shirt over his mouth while speaking to Real Madrid's No. 7.
Vinícius Jr reacted immediately to his opponent's remarks and alerted referee François Letexier, who made the crossed arms gesture to signal the activation of the racist abuse protocol.
Prestianni, who denied any accusations of racism, was provisionally suspended for one match—Benfica's Champions League second leg against Madrid. Following a UEFA investigation, he was ultimately found guilty of homophobic conduct and handed a six-match ban, with three games suspended.
Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almirón subsequently became the first player in World Cup history to be sent off for covering his mouth, during his nation's group stage fixture against Türkiye.