Neymar Sent Off for Covering His Mouth as Santos Draw 1-1 With Bahia

Santos drew 1-1 with Bahia at Vila Belmiro on Saturday, October 24, 2026, in a Brasileiro Serie A matchday 32 game that turned on a dismissal at halftime. Neymar, the 34 year old Santos forward, was sent off before the second half began after he covered his mouth with his hand while speaking to Bahia midfielder Rodrigo Nestor. The red card was for the gesture itself. No report established what Neymar said, and the footage did not show his words.

How the match unfolded

Bahia took the lead in the 39th minute through Luciano Juba. Neymar had already been cautioned in the first half, in the 31st minute according to LatestLY. Nowlivo reported that he threw the ball toward Nestor after a foul and received the yellow card during the dispute that followed. Shortly before the second half began, Neymar covered his mouth with his hand while speaking to Nestor, and Nestor drew the attention of the officials to the exchange.

The VAR review and the red card

Referee Savio Pereira Sampaio had not seen the gesture. After an alert from the video assistant referee and a review, he showed Neymar a straight red card before play restarted, recorded by Sportradar at 45 minutes. The dismissal applied the measure known in Brazilian football as the Vini Jr protocol, also reported as the Vini Jr Law, under which a player can be sent off for intentionally covering their mouth while confronting an opponent. OneFootball reported that the rule has been in effect since the 2026 FIFA World Cup and instructs referees to send off anyone who covers their mouth while arguing with an opponent. It was introduced after Vinicius Junior suffered racist abuse from Gianluca Prestianni of Argentina during a Champions League match against Benfica. The measure is intended to address situations in which a player's words may be hidden from cameras.

What each player said afterwards

Neymar acknowledged covering his mouth but denied saying anything offensive. As reported by Nowlivo, he said that he and Nestor had been joking and laughing during the exchange. Nestor had said at halftime that Neymar spoke to him disrespectfully. Nestor did not publicly repeat the words he said Neymar used. Orbit Post is not reporting any wording for the exchange, because no source verified one.

Ten men, a late equaliser and a two match ban

Santos played the whole second half with ten men and still took a point. In the third minute of stoppage time, Luan Peres headed in from a Benjamin Rollheiser corner to make it 1-1. The first half booking was Neymar's third yellow card of the current suspension cycle, so the yellow card and the straight red together mean he is set to miss Santos' next two matches, at home against Palmeiras on Wednesday, October 28, and against Bragantino on Monday, November 2. The draw leaves Santos seventh in the Serie A table and Bahia eighth.