Nobody likes to lose a cup final, but you can’t go decking fans in the face when things don’t go your way.

Brazilian superstar Neymar doesn’t seem to be enjoying life at French club Paris Saint-Germain these days, having recently copped a three-match ban for insulting the officials involved in their Champions League round-of-16 defeat to Manchester United last month.

He did hit the back of the net in the 21st minute of the French Cup final over the weekend, sending PSG into a 2-0 lead, but they would eventually lose 6-5 on penalties to Rennes, with the match ending 2-2 after extra time.

Cue some nasty scenes during the trophy presentation ceremony, with this from the Washington Post:

The Brazil forward was walking up the stairs to collect his losers’ medal at Stade de France when he was involved in an altercation. Videos since shared online showed the fan mocking PSG players Gianluigi Buffon, Layvin Kurzawa and Marco Verratti as they walked past, filming them on his phone as he used provocative language about them.

Sounds like the fan was a tosser of note, although it remains to be seen whether or not Neymar is punished for lashing out.

Some journalists believe that he could face a five-match ban by the French Football Federation, although that is merely conjecture.

Here are the best two angles of the incident:

Neymar’s club has publicly declared their support for the superstar:

PSG said it stands by Neymar and PSG’s other players “100 percent” over the incident. The club also understands the man in question was the friend of a Rennes player, who has not been named.

The footballer took to Instagram after the match, although he didn’t mention the punch:

That caption translates to:

Nobody likes to lose, so I … who knows me knows how competitive I am and how much defeat shakes me. But losing is part of an athlete’s life, makes us grow, makes us think, makes us BETTER. Happy to be able to play again, to score again and feel good on the pitch, but the biggest feeling today is sadness

When speaking to the media, he appeared to imply that some PSG players need to improve their attitudes:

“I see a lot of young players who are, not lost exactly, but they lack more ear than mouth.

“They must listen more than they talk. Sometimes a more experienced guy speaks, and they answer back. The coach himself speaks, and they retort. This is not how a team goes far.

“We are more experienced, so they must respect us a bit more, listen a bit more. I had to do the same when I was starting out.”

How does rolling around like you’ve been shot every time somebody tackles you fit into this equation?

Perhaps the team’s senior players, Neymar included, should try to be better examples of how a modern-day professional behaves.

[source:washpost]