Following Santos' elimination by Atlético Mineiro, the mockery from Atlético Mineiro supporters on Wednesday night sparked further discussion the next day. On the "Seleção Sportv" show, hosts André Rizek and former Brazilian international Felipe Melo reacted to videos posted by Atlético Mineiro supporters and defended the joke.

During the first leg, Neymar, absent due to injury, had an altercation with Atlético Mineiro supporters in a box at Vila Belmiro stadium, and at one point said: "Even without knees, I play better than your entire team."

According to the video creator, it was inspired by Neymar himself. During the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinal first leg the previous week, when Santos beat Atlético Mineiro 2-0, Neymar taunted his opponents, which sparked the "anger" of Atlético Mineiro supporters.

The video subsequently went viral on social media. A content creator suggested in the video that people record videos saying "My knees are better than Neymar's." Rizek was the first to speak: "My knees aren't as good as Neymar's, okay? My knees really aren't as good as his. I know some people will feel offended, and some people don't like this sort of thing. But I genuinely think that if football doesn't have levity, jokes, and mockery—especially mockery directed at those who started the jokes—it will lose much of its enjoyment."

Rizek also said: "I didn't know this content creator before; he's quite clever. I think that was very entertaining. I'll say it again, I don't know Neymar, and I've never met him in person... I think Neymar will laugh when he sees this, I hope. If he feels offended, then it's inappropriate. It all started with what he said."

Felipe Melo's view was similar to Rizek's, and he also defended the Atlético Mineiro supporters' mockery. Melo said: "But he said those words, didn't he? And he said them after they won. He also said, 'Oh, especially after winning.' But that's part of football. Neymar also said, 'I miss Edilson, Paulo Nunes, Viola—I miss those guys.'"

Melo added: "I think it's great. This is Atlético Mineiro's moment. Atlético Mineiro should have a good opportunity to joke around."

Another panelist on the show, Alexandre Lozetti, expressed a different viewpoint, criticizing Neymar's attitude and arguing that Neymar had initiated the controversy. Lozetti said: "Every time I bring this up, I become the 'party pooper.' I hope there will be more respect between clubs. We all know that in most cases, it's not just a joke. This time, it's a direct response to completely inappropriate behavior."

Lozetti also said: "Neymar's footballing talent is extraordinarily remarkable, placing him in an extremely rare position in world football. Few people in football can sit at the same table as him. I'm talking about the highest level: Messi, Ronaldo, and Mbappé. I really don't think someone who has reached such a height should be involved in these petty disputes all day long: his own supporters, opposing supporters, referees, opposing players, teammates, journalists, and content creators. Where does he get all that energy from!"

Traduit par IA.

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