Neymar attacks Santos pitch after Copa do Brasil exit against Palmeiras

Neymar’s frustration boiled over after Santos were eliminated by Palmeiras in the quarter-finals of the Copa do Brasil. Santos drew 0-0 at Vila Belmiro in the second leg, but Palmeiras advanced after winning the first meeting 3-0. Neymar left the match in tears after being substituted at half-time with a thigh problem.

The forward then turned his anger towards the condition of Santos’s home pitch. In an Instagram post, he said he had spent more than 17 years playing professional football and had “never” seen a surface like it. He described the Vila Belmiro field as the worst the club had ever had and said it was filled with holes.

Neymar linked the damage to earthworks carried out the day before the match. His complaint was that the pitch had been decompacted too close to the game, leaving an uneven surface that affected players’ movements. He said Santos had been forced to compete against both Palmeiras and the field itself.

He also argued that the state of the grass demanded extra effort during acceleration and braking. Neymar said three players were injured in the first half, presenting that number as evidence of the risks created by the surface. He ended his criticism with a sarcastic message to the person responsible for the pitch, writing: “Excellent job of rubbish.”

Neymar’s own night also ended with an injury concern. He said he had felt discomfort in his thigh and would undergo examinations to establish whether the problem was serious. His message did not provide a diagnosis or a timetable for his return, but the injury added to the disappointment of a match Santos needed to win after the heavy first-leg defeat.

Palmeiras responded by turning the criticism into a club statement of their own. The team congratulated those responsible for its pitch and said the surface remained impeccable every day, without holes, regardless of when matches were played. Palmeiras added that its athletes felt safer on the field and said the club had recorded the fewest injuries in Brazil’s top division over the previous five years.

The exchange underlined the contrast between the two clubs at this stage of the season. Palmeiras reached the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil without conceding in the return match, while Santos exited after failing to overturn a three-goal deficit. The result also left Santos without the cup route as the club tries to improve its league position.

Santos are 14th in the Brazilian championship, with four points separating them from the relegation places and 14 matches remaining. That position gives the pitch dispute a wider context: the club must now manage its league campaign while dealing with Neymar’s thigh examinations and the loss of a major cup opportunity. Neymar ended his post by saying Santos should keep their morale and concentrate on what comes next.