Neymar, 34, slapped Robinho Júnior, 18, his Santos teammate, in the face. If there was still any doubt regarding the accuracy of the reports describing this scene, it was dispelled when the veteran and the boy gave interviews on Tuesday night (5) and confirmed the episode that occurred during Sunday training (3).
The story, at this point, is already well known: irritated by a disconcerting dribble from the boy – and, apparently, by a subsequent provocation –, the veteran reacted aggressively. The extrajudicial notification through which the young man’s representatives demanded action from the club pointed out “swearing”, “striking” and “violent slaps in the face”.
The insults and the trip may have been overlooked, but the violent slap to the face hurt. Offended – and supported by his mother and his managers –, Robinho Júnior took the issue beyond the training center, something that was treated by many in football circles as a transgression of a code of ethics according to which conflicts are resolved internally.
But this code also prohibits slaps in the face.
“That was it”, replied the young man, after Santos’ 1-1 draw with the fragile Recoleta, from Paraguay, in Pedro Juan Caballero, asked about the hypothesis that the humiliation of the slap was the reason for his reaction.
The black and white goal against Recoleta was scored by Neymar, who hugged Robinho Júnior in celebration. The two adopted an “everything resolved” speech at the end of the game, but it was very clear that this was not exactly the situation.
The issue has many ramifications – one of them arising from the fact that Robinho Júnior is the son of Robinho, 42, now convicted and imprisoned for rape, an old teammate of Neymar himself at Santos. At the center of the conflict, between those directly involved in the episode, there is a complaint on each side. Júnior did not accept the slap in the face. Neymar was irritated by the fact that the fight had been made public.
In the sports debate programs immediately after the match, there were those who questioned the boy’s future in football, because of the “disrespect for the code”. There were also those who observed that the argument that Neymar should go to the World Cup because of his position as a leader, an experienced player, supposedly capable of dealing with young players, has collapsed, even though his production on the field is no longer the same as it once was.
It’s too early to know how big a career Robinho Júnior will have. It doesn’t seem too early to say that the slap stung Neymar’s face, even further away from hearing his name in the squad on the 18th.
“From the moment someone gives or gets hit in the face, it includes, implicates and drags others to the same humiliation”, wrote the famous writer and playwright Nelson Rodrigues, who dedicated significant portions of his social observation to football and slaps. He concluded: “It is better to be slapped than to be slapped.”
