Neymar sent off for covering his mouth during spat with rival, under rule born from Vinicius case

A hand over the mouth and a red card that changed everything. That simple, and that controversial, was how the match ended for Neymar in Santos's 1-0 win over Bahia in the Brasileirao: the forward was sent off following an argument with rival midfielder Rodrigo Nestor, falling victim to a rule that is already stirring debate in Brazilian soccer.

The incident was quick but had enormous consequences. Neymar covered his mouth with his hand while arguing with Nestor in the middle of the field. The Bahia player alerted the referee, who didn't hesitate: straight red. The reasoning behind that decision has a name, and it comes from another continent: it's the so called "Vinicius Junior rule," approved ahead of the World Cup after the Real Madrid forward reported racist insults from Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni during last season's Champions League. Prestianni ended up receiving a six game ban for discriminatory, homophobic conduct. Since then, covering your mouth while speaking to a rival during a match can get you sent off on the spot.

This time, the rule caught up with Neymar himself, right in the middle of a controversy that ended up spilling well beyond the field.

Two sides, face to face

After the match, Neymar held nothing back. He gave his version of what happened before the ejection and made clear that, in his eyes, it was all a setup.

We were talking in the middle of the field, joking around, laughing. Then I went to talk to Nestor, I made a mistake covering my mouth with my hand, yes, but I hadn't even said anything when he raised his hand. It's one of the dirtiest tricks in soccer. But sooner or later I'm going to get Nestor back for it.Neymar

Nestor, for his part, told a rather different story. According to the Bahia player, it all started with a normal challenge during play that turned into something much more personal.

It was just a regular foul in the match. I reached out to shake his hand and he threw the ball at me. Then he said several things to me. I was raised with a lot of respect by my mother and father, I know exactly where I come from. I was born in a neighborhood in Sao Paulo, it was very hard to get to where I am today and I'm proud to wear the Bahia jersey. He knows what he said to me, it was very disrespectful, both to me and to the Bahia jersey. He may be an idol to everyone as a player, but today he failed, he failed terribly as a person because of the way he spoke. You shouldn't do that kind of thing.Rodrigo Nestor

Nestor added that he preferred not to repeat exactly what was said on the field, "because there are a lot of people watching, including children," and stressed that the upbringing he received from his parents would never lead him to act that way.

Neymar raises the stakes on social media

On social media, Neymar went further and framed the matter in much more serious terms. He explained that he doesn't usually talk about the normal back and forth within a match, but that this time he felt the situation had crossed a line. In his account, Nestor tried to gain an advantage by accusing him of something that never happened, taking advantage of the fact that there is now legislation against racism. "Obviously we were trading insults, taking shots at each other, and that's fine, that's part of the game. But what he did is very serious," the forward wrote, calling the episode "surreal" and accusing Nestor of "acting" to earn a punishment that, he insisted, was not warranted.

The Santos forward went further and warned about the risk he believes this new rule poses: the possibility that it ends up being used as just another tool to "gain an edge" in the middle of a match, rather than serving the purpose it was originally designed for.