Overview
- Neymar, speaking on TV late Thursday after Santos beat Remo 2–0, said referee Sávio Pereira Sampaio had “woken up like Chico.”
- Brazilian outlets including CNN Brasil report the phrase can mean “pig” and stems from views that treated menstruation as dirt, which gives it a sexist meaning.
- ESPN Brasil journalist Mariana Pereira condemned the wording, calling it sexist and discriminatory toward women in comments on air and on X.
- After a late clash with Remo’s Diego Hernandez, Neymar was booked and will serve a one‑match suspension that rules him out of Sunday’s game at Flamengo in the Maracanã.
- He had a key night on the field with an assist and involvement in a second goal, yet the backlash now weighs on his public standing as he seeks a national team recall for 2026.