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Football

30th Apr 2019

Neymar facing lengthy ban after striking fan after PSG defeat

Simon Lloyd

Neymar is facing a spell on the sidelines.

Neymar is reportedly facing a lengthy ban after footage appeared to show him lashing out at a supporter following Paris Saint-Germain’s French cup final defeat to Rennes.

The Brazilian had scored PSG’s second goal of the game at the Stade de France with little over 20 minutes played on Saturday.

Though it seemed inevitable the French champions would build on their two-goal lead, Rennes halved the deficit through a Presnel Kimpembe own-goal before half-time.

Having equalised through Edson André Sitoe, Rennes forced the game to extra-time, where Kylian Mbappe was sent off, before eventually beating PSG on penalties.

Presumably angered by the shock defeat, footage surfacing on Twitter after the game showed Neymar taking exception to being filmed by a supporter on a camera phone as he made his way to collect his runners-up medal, appearing to hit out at the man after briefly exchanging words.

With the French Football Federation expected to punish the former Barcelona player, it’s now being claimed by RMC (via SPORT) that he could be forced to serve an eight-game ban.

Neymar is already due to face a ban in the Champions League next season following his comments about PSG’s dramatic elimination from this season’s competition at the hands of Manchester United.

Having described the officials on the night as “four people who know nothing about football”, the 27-year-old was given a three-game suspension – enough to keep him out of the first half of the group stages in 2019/20.