Rafael Nogueira
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Santos captain Neymar made history in Brazil’s Serie A as the first player forced to leave the field for one minute under a new rule targeting goalkeeper time-wasting, after his side beat Vasco 3-0 on Sunday.
The rule, currently being trialled in Serie A and set to be implemented in other competitions including the Premier League, states that when play is stopped because a goalkeeper requests medical attention, the coach must immediately nominate an outfield player to leave the pitch for one minute once play resumes. If no nomination is made within 10 seconds, the team captain is automatically required to step off.
The rule was invoked for the first time in the Brazilian top flight when Santos keeper Gabriel Brazao sought medical treatment during the match. The Santos coach failed to nominate a player within the 10-second window, so the referee directed Neymar, as captain, to leave the field.
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Neymar, 34, came off the bench twice for Brazil at this year’s World Cup, including scoring a late penalty in their 2-1 round-of-16 loss to Norway.