Enlarge image
PSG striker Neymar during Champions League match against Maccabi Haifa
Photo: JACK GUEZ / AFP
In the Champions League game from Paris St. Germain at Maccabi Haifa (3: 1 (1: 1)), the blatant outsider first took the lead before Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Neymar turned the game for the Parisians.
After Neymar's goal to make it 3-1 in the 88th minute, the goalscorer showed his well-known clown's celebration, holding his hands by his face and sticking his tongue out.
The German referee Daniel Siebert showed him a yellow card for this – he had probably interpreted the action as disrespect towards the home fans.
After the game, soccer superstar Neymar vented his anger at referee Daniel Siebert with an internet campaign.
The Brazilian international accused the referee of "total lack of respect" in a series of tweets and scolded: "This must not happen!" He "did nothing" but was "harmed".
“It only happens to me.
Next time I'll tell the referee beforehand," Neymar scolded in a video on his Instagram story.
Both there and on Twitter, where he has a total of around 235 million fans, he posted a photo of his jubilation.
The attacker protested against the warning during the game.
After that, he ran even hotter: he posted Siebert's name in capital letters with three emojis to mimic his jubilation and announced that he would continue with it.
He also complained that football was "more and more boring".
Siebert is the only German referee nominated for the World Cup in Qatar.
Most recently, he caused a stir in the Bundesliga game between Borussia Dortmund and TSG Hoffenheim.
The fact that he refused BVB a penalty after a handball by Hoffenheim's Ozan Kabak was later described as a wrong decision by Peter Sippel, Bundesliga sporting director at DFB.
see/sid
