Reports suggest tussle between Richarlison and Vinicius Jr in Brazil training may not have been a serious incident
Brazil teammates Richarlison and Vinicius Junior were seemingly involved in an alleged tussle during a fiesty training session with Brazil. However, subsequent reports and videos of the incident suggest that the incident wasn't serious and the players might have been play fighting.
According to The Mirror, the two players were spotted grabbing each other's shirts in Brazil training on Saturday. Veteran squad members such as Neymar and Dani Alves were among the players who were also involved in the incident and were seen gathering around the two players.
Richarlison take ein fooling reach Brazil Camp be that😹 https://t.co/XxiZb9yVWN
The incident took place just two days after Brazil's convincing 5-1 victory in a friendly against South Korea. Vincius replaced goalscorer Richarlison after 70 minutes in the match.
The Everton forward had previously filmed himself congratulating Vinicius on his winning goal for Real Madrid in their Champions League final triumph against Liverpool.
However, videos of the incident in question and subsequent reports suggest that the two Brazilians were merely play fighting and it was all part of training ground banter. In the training ground video, the Everton and Real Madrid forwards seem to jokingly get into a tussle, with Alves and Neymar seen laughing and separating them.
@brfootball See how easy it is for false news to be spread. Richarlison and Vinicius Jr. never had a fight the Brazilian squad was messing around in training. https://t.co/zMXfdFhpUq
Tite's side are one of the favorites to win this year's Qatar World Cup and have been drawn in a group alongside Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
Although Everton endured a tough season in the Premier League, Richarlison stood out by scoring 10 times in 30 top-flight appearances. The 25-year-old has netted 14 times in 35 games for the five-time world champions, including four strikes in his previous three caps.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old winger Vinicius has scored just once in his 13 caps for the South American giants.
Any guesses on what was said between Richarlison and VinÃcius Jr? 😱 https://t.co/20S6Mond8C
Tite insists Brazil no longer relies on Neymar
Brazil will be seeking their first triumph in football's biggest tournament since 2002 later this year. They continued their preparations for the showpiece event by dismantling South Korea in a friendly on Thursday.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar scored twice in the clash to move closer to Pele's Brazilian goalscoring record. However, manager Tite insists they do not rely on him like they used to.
Speaking to The Tribune, Tite said:
"I have been in charge of the national team for a long time, and in that time I have made lots of mistakes and also made some good decisions."
"We have a new generation coming through and one good thing I have done is to try out a lot of players. Now we are not so dependent on one attacking player."
Selecao will continue their tour of Asia as they take on Japan next, in their first visit to the country since winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year.
Vibes in Brazil training 🇧🇷
📸 @neymarjr https://t.co/4kwFKjF0Ma