Neymar has called on La Liga officials to bring down strict
sanctions on Cristiano Ronaldo, following the Portugal captain's violent
outburst, which earned him a red card in Real Madrid's 2-1 victory over
Cordoba at the weekend.
Ronaldo was dismissed in the 82nd minute for kicking and striking
Cordoba defender Edimar and apologized for the incident not long after
the match had finished. The dismissal has earned the Madrid forward an
immediate three match ban from domestic competition, but that does not
seem to be a strict enough punishment for Neymar.
"It is difficult because sometimes
there is provocation. It happened to Zinedine Zidane, it happened to me.
Nobody has the coolness to remain calm 100 per cent of the time.
"We must think with our heads. I think he should be punished.
"It is the referee's responsibility
to protect players on the pitch, particularly when they are targeted by
hard challenges. Hard tackles must be punished."
According to Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo,
Ronaldo could face anything up to a twelve match ban, although this,
and Neymar's appeal, feels like wishful thinking on behalf Barcelona,
who would love nothing more than their fiercest rival's best player to
be missing for the majority of the remaining season.
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