Brazil head coach Tite was far from happy with Tunisia’s treatment of Neymar, claiming they attempted to kick him out of the World Cup.
Tite has slammed Dylan Bronn’s challenge on Neymar during Brazil’s win over Tunisia, claiming it was “a move to take a player out of the World Cup”.
The Selecao completed their preparations for Qatar with a commanding 5-1 win in Paris, with Neymar in goal as his penalty took him to 75 at international level.
But the Paris Saint-Germain forward was subjected to a tough challenge by Tunisian defender Bronn in the 42nd minute, who was sent off.
And while Tite welcomed the competitive nature of the friendly with Jalel Kadri, who are unbeaten in seven games, the Brazilian coach was far from happy with the treatment of his talisman.
“We were in an atmosphere where most of the fans were from Tunisia,” he said. “At some points, I tried to find our fans, they dispersed. It created an atmosphere of a competitive game.
“The game on the pitch – we knew he would be competitive, loyal, but I didn’t imagine the move that happened to Neymar. It’s a move to get players out of the World Cup.”
“We are trying to do two friendlies with teams that are in the World Cup because the level of demand is very high, physically, technically and mentally. Tunisia have gone seven games without defeat.
“The competitive spirit doesn’t allow you to play a friendly that doesn’t have an emotional clash, so we wanted to prepare and we went to risk it, yes. But that’s what we decided to do.”
The five-time world champions head to Qatar later this year on a 15-match unbeaten run – winning their last seven – ahead of Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon in Group G.
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