Neymar has acknowledged his mistake, stating he “crossed the line” when he apologized to his Santos teammate Robinho Jr. for slapping the young forward during a training session.
The Brazilian club launched an investigation after the 18-year-old accused Neymar of delivering “a violent slap to the face” on Sunday, following a play in which he had dribbled past Neymar.
On Tuesday, the club confirmed that the situation at the Rei Pele Training Centre had been resolved.
“If you want an apology in front of the media, here it is,” said Neymar, who holds the record as Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer with 79 goals.
During Tuesday’s Copa Sudamericana match, which ended in a 1-1 draw with Recoleta, Neymar celebrated a goal by embracing Robinho Jr., the son of his former Brazil teammate and ex-Manchester City and Real Madrid player, Robinho.
“I did overreact in how I responded. It could have been handled differently, but I lost my temper,” Neymar admitted.
“Everyone makes mistakes. It was my error, and it was a bit larger than his. He’s a young player I care for deeply. These things happen in football; you have disagreements with friends, with brothers. It’s all part of the game.”
Robinho Jr. noted that Neymar “realized immediately that he’d gone too far” and apologized “several times” following the incident.
“It upset me because Neymar has been my idol since childhood,” he remarked. “People around us spread a lot of rumors, and it’s unfortunate to see it escalate to this extent. But I’m okay; I really like him. We’ve talked things over, and everything is resolved.”