Neymar Jr. and the Brazil national team came away with a 1-0 victory over Peru in the Copa America Semifinals.
The 29-year-old spoke to the media afterward to discuss the win, where UOL Esporte relayed one of Neymar’s criticisms, which was with refereeing. The Brazil international stated that from kick-off, the official had an arrogance to him, which rubbed the players the wrong way.
“The referee cannot do what he does; it is disrespectful to all players how he talks and looks at the players. From the first minute I went to talk to him, he was very arrogant, all the players said the same thing, I think it’s not normal, both teams complained about the way he whistled the game,” Neymar said.
“He can hit or miss, like us players, but the arrogance he had in today’s match can’t be that of a referee of the Copa America semifinal,” said Neymar. The referee can’t do what he did. It’s disrespectful what he says and the way he looks. From the first minute, he was arrogant. Everyone said that, both teams. He can miss and hit; that’s part of the game.
Neymar wasn’t the only one who had an issue with the referee in the match, as Peru manager Ricardo Gareca also slammed the official in his postgame conference with the media.