adminSELECAO skipper Neymar said staying in the Brazilian camp would have “killed him inside” after leaving the squad that will continue in the Copa America without their captain.
The Barcelona ace was given a four-match ban for his misdemeanours against Colombia last week, with Brazil’s decision not to appeal the ban ending his Copa America campaign with his national team.
“I waited with great faith and hope that there would be a possibility of me playing for Brazil again in this Copa America, but unfortunately it will not be possible,” Neymar wrote on his official Instagram account.
“I know my presence in the group is important, but other players now more than ever have to be focused on the upcoming games.”
The 23-year-old left the Brazil camp on Monday, and explained his decision to leave:
“I will be cheering for the team’s success but to stay in training would kill me inside. It would be joyless. It’s very hard to train without having anything to aim for and I could easily pick up an injury.
“Staying with the squad could lead to concentration issues and would distract from the main objective of winning the competition.”
Neymar then apologised to his teammates, and hopes to learn from this incident in future.
“I never dodged the responsibility of being a leader of the group,” he added. “As a captain I always go in search of victories and make decisions — whether erroneous or right — and this is a moment of decision-making.
“I apologise to my colleagues for putting people in this situation, but I’m sure it will be a learning curve in my career.”
The five-time world champions take on last tournament’s runners-up Paraguay in their quarter-final clash on Saturday. — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter