Santos captain Neymar has been suspended for two matches after Brazil's Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) found he broke the so-called "Vinicius Junior rule" by covering his mouth while arguing with an opponent during a Serie A game against Bahia last weekend.

The 34-year-old was sent off by referee Savio Pereira Sampaio after a heated exchange with Bahia midfielder Rodrigo Nestor. According to Reuters, the tribunal said the referee's report also recorded that Neymar, after getting his red card, ran towards the visitors' bench to confront his opponent and had to be held back by his teammates.

Three games on the sidelines

The two-match ban is on top of a one-match suspension Neymar was already serving for collecting three yellow cards, which ruled him out of Wednesday's league match against Palmeiras. In total he will miss three Santos games and is not expected back on the pitch until late November.

ESPN reported that Neymar and Santos can still appeal the mouth-covering suspension. Neymar has acknowledged that covering his mouth was a mistake but has denied directing any abuse at Nestor.

Why covering the mouth is now an offence

The rule was born out of a racism row in European football. Earlier this year, Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior accused Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him during a Champions League match while pulling his shirt over his mouth, hiding what he said from cameras and lip-readers.

In April, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that sets the laws of the game, unanimously approved a sanction under which players who cover their mouths during a confrontation with an opponent or any other player can be shown a red card. The FIFA-backed change was brought in ahead of the 2026 World Cup, where Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron became the first player sent off for the offence and was suspended for one match.

Another first for Neymar

The case adds to an eventful year for Brazil's all-time top scorer, who has 80 goals in 130 appearances for his country and announced his retirement from international football after the World Cup.

About three months ago he became the first player in Brazil's top flight to be temporarily removed from the field under a separate rule being trialled to stop goalkeepers wasting time.

For Santos, the timing is poor. The club, where Neymar began his career before moves to Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Al-Hilal, will now go into the closing stretch of the season without its captain and most influential player.

Photos: Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images via Al Jazeera; Bryan Berlin/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.