'Spoiled Brat & a Disgrace': Fans Slam Neymar After Brazilian Star's Angry Exchange With Referee

Brazilian footballer Neymar is known for his on-field antics and in the past, fans have accused him of faking his injuries on the pitch. His Thursday feud with a referee in Sao Paulo is the latest addition to his long list of confrontations and run-ins with match officials.

Fans have slammed Brazil forward Neymar for his angry outburst at referee Roberto Tobar during his national team's 1-0 triumph in a World Cup qualifying clash on Thursday.

While some football lovers labelled Neymar as a "disgrace", others declared him as a "spoiled brat" who doesn't believe in giving respect to the custodians of the sport's rules.

I’m sorry, but how can Neymar get away with doing this to the referee??

He really is a spoiled brat, isn’t he? And the referee seems scared of him. pic.twitter.com/1GCqutqmrf

— Jack De Larrinaga (@JackDeLarrinaga) November 12, 2021

Neymar checking if the referee has any cavities! The king of dental hygiene! 👏 pic.twitter.com/iXgLxCIGpa

— Parceros United (@ParcerosUnited) November 12, 2021

Neymar doesn't seem to realize that referees, especially in conmebol, do not take him seriously. if he goes down, there will always be the thought in the back of their minds that he's just diving or making it look worse https://t.co/rmdJVozm8O

— Wise Guy (@2wiseguysinc) November 12, 2021

3 times tonight Neymar has been in the referee's face, and I mean nose to nose, verbally abusing him & pointing his finger.

That's on top of 90mins of whinging, diving, throwing tantrums, trying to get Colombian players carded (not that they need help with that). He's a disgrace

— Darragh O'Reilly (@dor_86) November 12, 2021

Neymar must stop faking fouls. He destroys the game by cheating, referees must know this or VAR must intervene to stop this clown.

— JDG_0120-3ra_cuenta (@JDG_0120_3ra) November 12, 2021

The incident happened after just nine minutes of game time, as an angry Neymar shouted into the referee's face before his chest-to-chest collision with him.

However, Neymar was let off by the referee as he didn't penalise the 29-year-old footballer for making contact with him.

Neymar's luck not only helped him in avoiding punishment, but also sealed Brazil's place in next year's World Cup in Qatar. After all, it was the PSG forward who provided the assist which allowed Lucas Paqueta to deliver the winner in the 72nd minute.

With their triumph over Colombia, Brazil became the first team from South America to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the Middle East.