Brazilian forward Neymar has been handed a two-match suspension by the country's sports tribunal for covering his mouth during an on-pitch confrontation with a Bahia player.

The incident took place during Santos' match against Bahia last weekend. The tribunal ruled on Wednesday that Neymar's actions violated the protocol known as the 'Vinicius Law', named after Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.

Vinicius had accused Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him during a Champions League match earlier this year. Prestianni had covered his mouth with his shirt during the confrontation.

Neymar will miss three matches in total, with one suspension coming from an accumulation of yellow cards and the other two from the mouth-covering incident. He will serve the first match against Palmeiras in the Brazilian league on Wednesday and is not expected to return until late November.

Neymar and Santos can appeal the two-match suspension.

The 34-year-old has endured an injury-hit 2026 but has continued to contribute when available. He has scored eight goals in 15 appearances in Brazil's Serie A this year.

Neymar earned a recall to Brazil's national team after his performances in the first half of the year. However, injuries limited his involvement at the World Cup, where he made two substitute appearances and scored a penalty against Norway.

Brazil were eliminated in the Round of 16 after losing to their European opponents. Following the tournament, Neymar announced that he would not continue his international career, having scored 80 goals in 130 appearances for Brazil.

"I think my time with the national team has already passed. I made history there, and I'm very happy about it," Neymar told reporters. "I experienced a lot there, gave my blood and my life, and always fought and battled for the yellow jersey. But I don't think I want it anymore."

His comments followed an emotional interview with Brazilian broadcaster ge after Brazil's World Cup exit, in which he said: "I tried, I tried. Now it's over."

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