Neymar was forced to leave the pitch during Santos’ 3-0 victory over Vasco da Gama.
He wasn’t injured.
He hadn’t been substituted.
And he certainly hadn’t been sent off.
Instead, the Brazilian superstar became the first player in Brazil’s Serie A to be forced off the pitch for 60 seconds under a new rule designed to combat time-wasting by goalkeepers.
The unusual incident occurred during Santos’ 3-0 victory over Vasco on Sunday, producing one of the strangest sights of the Brazilian league season.
Why was Neymar forced to leave the pitch?
The incident began when Santos goalkeeper Gabriel Brazão required medical treatment, causing the game to be stopped.
Brazil’s Serie A is currently trialling a new rule aimed at discouraging goalkeepers from using medical stoppages as a way of wasting time.
Under the trial, whenever play is stopped because a goalkeeper requires treatment, that goalkeeper’s coach must nominate one outfield player to temporarily leave the pitch.
The selected player must then remain on the sidelines for one minute after play resumes.
But there is another important part of the rule.
If the coach fails to nominate a player within 10 seconds, the decision is made automatically.
The team captain has to leave.
That is exactly what happened to Santos.
After Brazão received treatment, the Santos coaching staff did not nominate an outfield player within the required 10-second period.
As Santos captain, Neymar therefore became the player required to step off the pitch.
The 34-year-old had to watch from the sidelines for 60 seconds before being allowed to return.
Neymar makes history for a reason he never expected
As a result, Neymar became the first player in the Brazilian top flight to experience the punishment since the new rule began being tested.
It was an unusual piece of football history for a player who has already collected almost every kind of milestone imaginable during his career.
More importantly, the incident provided supporters with a first-hand look at how one of football’s newest attempts to combat time-wasting could work in practice.
The idea behind the rule is relatively simple.
If a goalkeeper’s medical treatment temporarily leaves his team with only 10 outfield players once play resumes, there is little sporting disadvantage because goalkeepers are allowed to remain on the pitch.
By temporarily removing an outfield player as well, teams now have something to lose if repeated goalkeeper treatment is used to slow down a match.
And if a manager attempts to delay the decision over which player should leave, the captain automatically pays the price.
In Santos’ case, that happened to be one of the most famous footballers on the planet.
Could we see the rule in the Premier League?
The experiment may also be more significant than simply producing an unusual Neymar moment in Brazil.
According to Reuters, the measure is being tested as part of wider efforts to reduce time-wasting and is also set to be implemented in other competitions, including the Premier League.
That means situations similar to Neymar’s could soon become familiar to football supporters elsewhere.
A captain such as Bruno Fernandes, Virgil van Dijk or Martin Ødegaard, for example, could theoretically find himself temporarily removed from a match if his goalkeeper requires treatment and his manager fails to nominate another player quickly enough.
For now, however, Neymar owns the unusual distinction of being the first major victim of the experiment.
A strange night ends perfectly for Santos
The temporary absence ultimately did little to hurt Santos.
Neymar returned after serving his one-minute spell on the sidelines and his team went on to secure an impressive 3-0 victory away to Vasco.
The result was particularly valuable for Santos as they continue their fight near the lower end of the Brazilian Serie A table.
But one of the lasting images from the game may have little to do with any of the three goals.
Instead, it was the sight of Neymar standing outside the pitch despite receiving no card, suffering no injury and having not been substituted.
Football’s lawmakers have spent years searching for increasingly creative ways to prevent teams from wasting time.
And Neymar has now become the first player in Brazilian football to discover exactly what one of those new ideas feels like.
