Neymar and Memphis Depay are among the stars to criticise the Brazilian Football Confederation’s (CBF) new rule to punish players that stand on the ball with both feet.
The CBF notified all clubs of the domestic league that from now on, players who do so will be shown a yellow card while the opposing team will be awarded an indirect free kick.
According to the CBF’s letter the act of standing on the ball “in addition to the player risking an injury, generates widespread disruptions in games, is considered a provocation to a rival and disrespects the game.”
“Football is getting more and more boring,” Santos captain Neymar wrote on Instagram.
Corinthians star Memphis Depay says there are more important things referees should focus on than whether a player is standing on a ball.
Depay recently did that action and it provoked Palmeiras players during the Campeonato Paulista final, which his team won.
The Netherlands international said after Saturday’s 3-0 league win against Vasco da Gama: “I don’t know what the VAR did, in the first half they should have checked, it was a clear foul for a red card. But instead, they prefer to create rules here [in Brazil] like not being able to get on the ball, what are we talking about?
“If we carry on like this, those who decide things in soccer are doing the wrong things. I want to be clear about this, Brazil is a country where we play soccer, you don’t just play soccer with your feet, you also play with your head. They have to do a better job.”
