Neymar was one of the protagonists of Santos' beautiful victory at Vasco da Gama, and not only for the long-distance duel with Thiago Mendes, who decided not to shake hands due to past disagreements. The Brazilian striker, in fact, can officially be considered the first victim of the new football rule, applied in the Brazilian elite championship. The former Barcelona and PSG player was forced to stay off the field for a minute before he could return to the game normally.
Neymar is off the field for a minute
It all started with a problem with Santos goalkeeper Gabriel Brazao, who received help from the medical staff on the field. In these cases, according to the regulations, when the game restarts, a field player from the same team must come out and stay out for at least one minute. Neymar, being the team captain, was forced to sacrifice himself and so he waited for the time to pass, returning to the field after exactly 60 seconds. No consequences for Santos, who still managed to get the victory without any particular problems.
How the rule against "cheaters" works
This rule was designed by the IFAB to prevent players from taking advantage of time-wasting, perhaps by exaggerating or faking injuries. When a field player requires intervention from his staff, he must leave the field and remain outside for at least 1 minute. A preventive measure, therefore, against simulations or minor problems. What if the goalkeeper is injured? The rule provides in these cases that the coach has 10 seconds to choose a field player who must come out temporarily. If this does not happen, the captain must automatically come out, exactly as happened with Neymar in Santos' last match.
Exceptions and where it is applied
There are also exceptions to the rule that mean that no one needs to leave the field. This happens when the goalkeeper is injured as a result of a foul that the referee awards a free kick, or when there is a sudden collision during play between the goalkeeper and another player that requires simultaneous treatment of both, or even in the event of the goalkeeper bleeding. The rule, which has been officially tested, has been applied for the first time in the Brazilian football championship. And it certainly won't be the last time, with the objective of combating "tricksters".
