Neymar Appears to Punch Fan on Video After Rennes Upset PSG in Coupe de France
Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar could find himself in hot water, as video footage has surfaced of him appearing to punch a fan after they lost in the Coupe de France final against Rennes on Saturday.
The Brazilian appeared to grab a fan's phone and momentarily engage him before throwing a punch and walking away:
A different angle appears to show the fan heckling the PSG players, hurling insults at Gianluigi Buffon and Marco Verratti before the Neymar incident:
According to L'Equipe (h/t Get French Football News), the fan plans to file a complaint with the police. He also claimed the alleged punch resulted in a bloody nose:
The incident occurred as PSG went to collect their second-place medals. Per L'Equipe, the fan called Verratti a racist, Buffon a "dirty idiot" and told Layvin Kurzawa not to shake his hand. The fan claims he never insulted the players.
Upon seeing the alternative angle, sports writer Kristof Terreur thought the fan was trying to bait the players to get a reaction:
Neymar made his first start for PSG since suffering an injury against Strasbourg in January. Everything appeared to be going to plan initially, as he and Dani Alves gave the Ligue 1 champions a two-goal lead before the halfway point of the first half.
An own-goal from Presnel Kimpembe and a strong header from Mexer brought Rennes level again, however, and Kylian Mbappe was sent off during extra time. In the penalty shootout, Christopher Nkunku―who was brought on after 120 minutes―was the only player to miss his effort.
UEFA recently suspended Neymar for three Champions League matches over an Instagram post that was critical of the officiating in a 3-1 loss against Manchester United. He could well face a domestic suspension following Saturday's incident.
