VIDEO: Did Neymar Punch a Fan? An Investigation

It was a rough Saturday for Paris Saint-Germain, and it could get worse for its biggest star.

After PSG lost the Coupe de France final against Rennes on penalty kicks, Neymar was filmed getting into an altercation with a fan. Many outlets have used the word “punch” or “hit” to describe the interaction between the Brazilian star and the fan. Before passing our judgment, let’s look at the two angles of the incident.

In the first angle, you see the fan filming Neymar and Neymar pushing his phone down. Then Neymar and the man exchange words. Then the man’s friend puts his arm out and appears to touch Neymar. That’s when Neymar sticks his hand out and appears to make contact with the original confronter’s face. In the second angle, you can see Neymar’s hand is indeed balled up in a fist.

What exactly provoked Neymar to react in this way, we don’t know. The fan was reportedly heckling the star and his teammates, but regardless, the fact that Neymar put his hands on a fan and appears to throw a punch is bad news.

According to L’Equipe, the fan filed a police report. They also reported the fan made inappropriate comments to the players.

We’ll see what happens in terms of discipline, but clearly Neymar threw a punch and clearly there will be repercussions.