Brazil Football VP asks Neymar to withdraw from Copa America

Vice-president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, Francisco Noveletto, said on Tuesday that football star Neymar should miss the upcoming Copa America, which the country is hosting.

Noveletto made the remarks during an interview with local media in Porto Alegre.

“Today, let’s be honest here, he doesn’t have the psychological conditions to play a Copa America, to face a battalion of journalists asking the same questions to him. It would be good for all – for him, for CBF, for the event – because he will not play well, he will not play what he could play. At the World Cup he didn’t play well, he failed to deliver. Imagine this emotional weight upon him! I think that everybody would win if Neymar did not come for this Copa (America),“said Francisco Noveletto, vice president, Brazil Football Confederation.

The VP’s comments come after a woman accused Neymar of raping her in a hotel in Paris on May 15th, accusations that Neymar has refuted even releasing a statement on Instagram.

“If Neymar plays, there’s the possibility of Brazil not winning (Copa America). I know your people, the media. The media will be looking at him. And there are many other things to come yet. I have a friend in Rio de Janeiro that tells me that there’s another video to come out,” said Francisco Noveletto, vice president, Brazil Football Confederation.

Brazil will kick off the tournament with a match against Bolivia in Sao Paulo on June 14.