The Brazilian football star was left out of Carlo Ancelotti's latest squad against Croatia in an international friendly and is facing an uphill task of reaching the World Cup, likely to be his last.

The incident took place during Santos' 2-0 win over Remo in Brazilian Serie A. While his one-game ban is confirmed after picking up a third yellow card in the game, Neymar's outburst at male referee Savio Pereira Sampaio didn't go well with the lawmakers.

With the 34-year-old needing to impress Ancelotti in coming days at Santos, a lengthy ban would put Neymar's final FIFA World Cup dreams into smoke. It must be noted that Neymar was fouled several times during the game. At one point, Neymar lost his cool after the break and confronted Diego Hernandez, forcing the referee to show a yellow card.

What did Neymar say?

In his outburst against Sampaio, Neymar reiterated that the card was "unfair". "I was on the receiving end of a dangerous, unnecessary tackle at the end of the match. It wasn't the first, but the third or fourth. I went to protest and received a yellow card," Neymar told Canal Premiere.

"That's Savio for you; he woke up like 'Chico' (in a bad mood) and came onto the pitch in that state. He wants to be the star of the match, he's incredibly disrespectful to the players, he doesn't talk, he doesn't discuss anything, he's the kind of guy who dictates the game, who wants to control everything.

"He needs to learn to manage that, it's disrespectful," added Neymar. The Brazilian was even heard laughing when he said the word 'Chico'. According to ESPN Brazil, 'Chico' is derived from the word 'chiqueiro'. It refers to the time when menstruation is associated with something filthy and impure.

Neymar's comments didn't go well with ESPN Brazil journalist Mariana Pereira, who took to social media to protest against his words. "How easy it is to replicate sexist and prejudiced expressions. For years, women have been shamed for menstruating," she wrote.