India, April 3 -- Brazil football star Neymar has found himself in the middle of another off-field controversy as his place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 squad hangs in the balance. Having called the referee 'Chico' Savio Pereira Sampaio after the match between Santos and Remo, the veteran has faced backlash on social media for making a sexist comment as the term is a sexist word in Brazilian slang.

Why was Neymar unhappy with the referee?

Although the Santos comfortably beat Remo 2-0 in the Brazilian league, the 34-year-old was visibly unhappy about the yellow card. A confrontation with Diego Hernandez provoked the referee to give him a yellow card. In a post-match chat with Canal Premiere, Neymar said:

"This card is unfair. I was on the...