'I'm not going to accept these lies!' - Neymar furiously denies 'malicious' Santos dressing room claims after two-goal display vs Chapecoense

Brazilian icon Neymar has moved quickly to shut down reports of a internal crisis at Santos following his side's dramatic 2-2 draw with Chapecoense. Despite his heroics on the pitch, where he netted twice to salvage a point, the veteran forward found himself at the centre of a storm regarding his conduct behind the scenes. Reports suggested that Neymar sparked a dressing-room bust-up by insulting both Ananias and Bontempo.

Addressing the rumors directly via Instagram Story, Neymar insisted the narrative was false, saying: "What's up, everyone? Hope you're all having a good Sunday. It's obviously not the Sunday we wanted, but that's life. We have to keep our heads high and keep working.

"Now, I've been seeing reports that I tore into the younger players in the dressing room, which is a complete lie. Whoever is pushing that narrative, please stop. Don't do it. Don't lie."

The former Barcelona and PSG talisman emphasised that while the dressing room atmosphere was intense, it was a collective effort of the senior leadership group rather than a targeted attack on the club's prospects.

"Ask anyone who was inside that room," he continued. "We held the entire team accountable. Lucas [Verissimo], [Willian] Arao, Gabi [Barbossa], and I all spoke up... We're competitive and we want to win. But nobody was picking on the young players. I'm not going to tolerate people saying that."

The 34-year-old was particularly critical of the way the information was reported, slamming them as "malicious".

He added: "Moving forward, I'm not going to accept these lies you're spreading on the internet. Holding each other accountable in the dressing room is completely normal in football. It’s what teams that want to win do.

"The people writing these malicious, fake articles know nothing. You don't know what football is, and you've never been part of a real squad. So..." he said, before ending the video with a shushing gesture.

On the pitch, Neymar remains the focal point for Santos, having used his comeback match to silence his doubters with a card celebration after scoring one of his two goals. His second strike came from the penalty spot in the dying moments, but the afternoon ended on a sour note when he was shown his third yellow card of the season, which means he will miss Santos' upcoming Serie A match against Athletico Paranaense at Vila Belmiro.

This disciplinary setback follows previous criticism regarding his professional choices, including a public appearance at a poker tournament while his teammates were competing abroad. However, his ability to deliver under pressure remains undisputed, as he dragged Santos back into the match when they looked set for a disappointing home defeat.

While Neymar has denied the severity of the insults, the club is reportedly looking into the incident to ensure squad harmony remains intact during a difficult run of form. The allegations had claimed Neymar called Bontempo "sh*t" and mocked the youngster's future, though both Bontempo and Ananias have since publicly denied that such insults were traded.

Santos are now preparing for a busy schedule that includes crucial fixtures in the Copa Sudamericana and the Copa do Brasil. With Neymar set to sit out the league game against Athletico Paranaense, the domestic spotlight will shift toward how the rest of the squad responds in his absence.

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