Neymar’s anticipated return to play for Santos is being strategically delayed to avoid an upcoming match on a synthetic turf pitch, despite the club’s precarious position in Brazil’s top football league.
The forward, who has been sidelined since mid-September with a thigh injury, will not feature in Santos’s match this Saturday against Fortaleza. His return is now expected to be pushed back beyond that, largely due to a scheduled November 6 game against Palmeiras at Allianz Parque, which features an artificial surface.
Synthetic pitches are known to increase physical impact on players. Neymar has previously expressed strong disapproval of such surfaces.
In September, he co-signed a joint statement with other players, asserting that “professional football is not played on synthetic turf.” The statement criticized the “worrying direction Brazilian football is taking” and argued that artificial pitches “should not even be an option.”
The statement further suggested that in “most respected leagues in the world, players are listened to and investments are made to ensure the quality of the pitches in the stadiums.”
Neymar’s absence is particularly impactful as Santos currently sits in 16th place in the Brasileirão standings, just one spot above the relegation zone. The team has nine matches remaining in the season.
Santos holds 32 points, a single point more than 17th-placed Vitória, though with one game in hand.