Neymar loses cool over incorrect substitution as World Cup squad selection draws near

[p]The 34-year-old was dramatically hauled off the ‌pitch after he alleged a fourth official bungled ‌a substitution, pulling [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/neymar/jNOPwl3h/"]Neymar[/a] instead of teammate [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/escobar-gonzalo/dQqt46pc/"]Gonzalo Escobar[/a] ‌despite the forward only leaving temporarily for treatment on ‌his calf.[/p][p]The fourth official raised the board with his number 10 displayed as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/robinho-jr/4n0svQyI/"]Robinho Jr[/a] took his place. But ‌as Neymar tried to return to the ⁠field, he received ‌a yellow card before getting involved in a furious protest.[/p][p]The ​referee refused to entertain his arguments and in a moment of desperation, Neymar snatched the ​substitution slip from the officials and showed it to a TV camera to prove Escobar was meant to come ⁠off, not him.[/p][embed guid="d5b7c8a6-551d-4f95-8455-f2f2e2ddd545" url="https://x.com/Footballtweet/status/2056067163723534654" social-type="twitter" /][p]"[b]The ​fourth official got the substitution wrong[/b]," [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/santos/n3QdnjFB/"]Santos[/a] said in a post on X.[/p][p]"[b]This was confirmed by the television coverage and by the note used by the officials ‌during the substitution. An inexplicable error that was not corrected[/b]."[/p][p]The mix-up could not have come at a worse time for Neymar, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a] coach Carlo Ancelotti set to announce his World Cup squad on Monday.[/p][p]The Italian has said Neymar's inclusion will be based on fitness and form, not sentiment. He has six goals and four assists for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ronaldo-cristiano/WGOY4FSt/"]Santos[/a] across all ‌competitions this season.[/p][p]Despite being Brazil's all-time top scorer with ​79 goals, Neymar has not played for his ‌country since 2023 due to injuries and a knee surgery that kept him sidelined for a year.[/p][p]The frustrated forward eventually left the field and handed the captain's armband to Escobar, the very ⁠player who should have ⁠been substituted in ‌the first place.[/p]