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 receiving end of a dangerous, unnecessary tackle at the end of the match. It wasn’t the first, but the third or fourth. I went to protest and received a yellow card. That’s Savio for you; he woke up like ‘Chico’ [in a bad mood] and came onto the pitch in that state. He wants to be the star of the match, he’s incredibly disrespectful to the players, he doesn’t talk, he doesn’t discuss anything, he’s the kind of guy who dictates the game, who wants to control everything. He needs to learn to manage that. It’s disrespectful.”
🚨🤬 Neymar Jr. 🇧🇷 couldn’t take Diego Hernández’s shove and went straight after him!
The Santos star received a yellow card for the reaction and will miss the next match against Flamengo ⛔️⚽ pic.twitter.com/kSjPlVJAGS
— Topskills Sports UK (@topskillsportuk) April 3, 2026
The contentious part of the chat were the words ‘Acordou de chico e veio assim pro jogo’ as it translates to ‘Chico’.
What does Chico mean in Brazilian slang?
While the word ‘Chico’ may sound like a person’s name it is viewed as a sexist word in Brazilian slang, referring to a woman being on a period. Hence, the former Barcelona forward’s statement seemed to suggest that the referee made a wrong decision because he was menstruating. Brazilian journalist Mariana Pereira didn’t take kindly and wrote the below on X:
“Woke up on his period and came to the game like that” – how easy it is to replicate sexist and prejudiced expressions. For years, women have been shamed for menstruating. A simple BIOLOGICAL process viewed as something dirty, with hormonal fluctuations and physical pain invalidated. There are still those who defend it.”
“Acordou de chico e veio assim pro jogo” – como é fácil replicar expressões sexistas e preconceituosas. Por anos as mulheres foram constrangidas por menstruarem. Um simples processo BIOLÓGICO visto como algo sujo, flutuações hormonais e dores físicas invalidadas. Há quem defenda. pic.twitter.com/HWubLWGOJ7
— Mariana Pereira (@maripereira_j) April 3, 2026
Having played in FIFA World Cups in 2014, 2018 and 2022, Neymar could miss the upcoming one. It remains to be seen if he gets banned for that comment.
