Brazil to report doctors over Neymar final claims

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) threatened to report doctors for recommending Neymar play in the FIFA World Cup final.

Neymar fractured a vertebra in Brazil’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Colombia on Friday when Juan Camilo Zuniga kneed the forward in the back in the second half.

While the 22-year-old Brazilian was ruled out of the rest of the World Cup within a couple of hours of the quarter-final in Fortaleza, reports emerged on Sunday that Neymar could play in the tournament decider, if Brazil defeated Germany in their semi-final.

But CBF head doctor Jose Luiz Runco strenuously denied Neymar could be fit for the final, while the Brazilian governing body declared they would report any doctors that had recommended pain-killing injections for breaching medical ethics.

Reports in the Brazilian media suggested the doctors of Santos – Neymar’s former club – had told both the player and his family that he could recover quickly enough to play in the final at the Maracana.

But Runco dismissed those suggestions on Monday.

“There is absolutely no chance that Neymar will play,” Runco told ESPN.

“Right now, Neymar has a stable injury to his spinal column, which needs bone healing.

“If the injury received any further impact it could become unstable, which would cause problems both to Neymar the player and the human being.”