Fifa pledges to examine Colombian Juan Zúñiga’s foul on Brazil’s Neymar
Fifa’s disciplinary committee is studying the challenge that led to Brazil’s Neymar suffering a fractured vertebra to decide on action against Colombia’s Juan Zúñiga. The defender caught Neymar with a knee in the forward’s back during Brazil’s 2-1 quarter-final win.
Fifa’s head of media, Delia Fischer, said: “The disciplinary committee is analysing the matter. The spirit of fair play is very important and we want to avoid difficult things on the field of play.”
Ronaldo, Brazil’s former World Cup-winning striker, believes Zúñiga intended to hurt Neymar. He told a news conference in Rio de Janeiro: “The challenge was a very violent one – I believe there was an intention by the Colombian player to cause some harm. I don’t think it was normal football play, I don’t know whether he had planned this beforehand but I do believe it was very aggressive, very violent.”
Zúñiga defended the challenge after the match, saying he had not deliberately hurt Neymar. He said: “It was a normal move, I never meant to hurt a player. I was on the field, playing for the shirt from my country, not intending to injure anyone. I was just defending my shirt.”
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