Neymar, Vinicius Jr, and Richarlison land in controversy after alleged partying with influencers before draw with Venezuela: Reports
Three of Brazil's biggest stars, Neymar, Vinicius Jr, and Richarlison may be in hot water after it was rumoured that they partied with Instagram influencers. As the Selecao prepared for their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Venezuela, it was reported that a party took place in the team hotel involving three players.
Brazil hosted South American side Venezuela in the third match of their CONMEBOL 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers looking for a third win. They were, however, left stunned in the game as Venezuela held them to a 1-1 draw at home.
Al-Hilal forward Neymar bore the brunt of the fans' unhappiness with the result as he had popcorn thrown at him after the match. This was despite the 31-year-old providing an assist for Gabriel Magalhaes and having an impressive showing for his country.
Journalist Matheus Baldi has come out on Instagram to claim that the trio of attackers had partied with prominent Instagram influencers before the match. He also claims that there is footage of one of the influencers exiting the team hotel after the game.
Vinicius Jr started in attack alongside Neymar and Richarlison, and all three showed no signs of being hungover or affected by the partying. Venezuela escaped with a draw thanks to an acrobatic goal by Eduard Bello in the 85th minute of the encounter in Cuiaba.
Neymar, Vinicius Jr taken as scapegoats after Brazil fail to win
Despite being his country's record goalscorer, Neymar is seen as an easy target for Brazil's football fans to attack when things go wrong. The same may be said for Real Madrid ace Vinicius Jr, who hardly put a foot wrong in the match against Venezuela.
Vinicius Jr played for 79 minutes in which he had a passing accuracy of 87 percent. He made four key passes and created one big chance.
Baldi's claims are yet to be confirmed, but there is no evidence pointing to the fact that Richarlison and the other two partied before the game. The accused trio are yet to release any statements debunking or confirming the allegations.
Brazil were unfortunate to not emerge with three points from their match against Venezuela, with their depleted squad. Caretaker manager Fernando Diniz had led the five-time champions to two wins in their opening games in the qualifiers before the draw against Venezuela.
Neymar, Vinicius Jr, and Richarlison will be involved for their country in their next match against rivals Uruguay on Tuesday. Diniz will be hoping for his side to return to winning ways in what is expected to be a tough encounter between both sides.