Neymar Blames Santos Pitch for Injury in Copa do Brasil Exit

Neymar rages at Santos pitch after injury in Copa do Brasil exit

The night was already sour for Santos. Knocked out of the Copa do Brasil by Palmeiras after a 0-0 draw at Vila Belmiro and a 3-0 defeat in the first leg, they lost more than just the tie. They lost Neymar to injury – and the Brazilian star left furious with his own club’s pitch.

The forward limped off at the end of the first half with a thigh problem, his quarter-final second leg cut short. The anger came later.

Back home and with the adrenaline still running, Neymar went straight to Instagram and turned his frustration on the Vila Belmiro turf, which he blamed for both the quality of the match and the injuries.

“I would like to congratulate the person responsible for the Vila Belmiro stadium pitch,” he wrote, the sarcasm dripping off the screen.

Then he dropped the irony and went for the jugular.

“What happened yesterday was the worst pitch the club has ever seen. It was full of holes because of works carried out one day before the match. Unbelievable! Alongside playing against the opponent, we were also playing against the pitch.”

The criticism didn’t stop there. Neymar underlined the physical toll he felt the surface had taken on the squad.

“And to make matters worse, we had to make a greater effort because of its dreadful condition. No wonder 3 players were injured in the first half. Well done indeed... very poor work!”

His own injury quickly became part of the story.

“Unfortunately, I felt discomfort in my thigh. I will undergo tests, and I hope it is not serious. We will keep our morale up and focus on what is coming,” he added, trying to shift the focus back to the future even as the storm raged around the club.

If Santos were stung by their star’s words, Palmeiras were amused. And they did not let the opportunity pass.

The São Paulo side fired back with a pointed, sarcastic statement of their own, turning Neymar’s complaints into a chance to praise their own standards. Palmeiras highlighted the condition of their pitch, stressing that it receives daily maintenance and, in their words, remains in perfect shape.

The club said that level of care gives their players greater security and confidence, then underlined the point with a statistic: over the past five years, Palmeiras claim to be the Brazilian top-flight club least affected by injuries.

It was a thinly veiled response, a public jab aimed straight at Neymar’s comments and, by extension, at Santos’ handling of their historic home.

The tie is over. The rivalry clearly is not.