Neymar Underwear Violation: FIFA Investigating Brazil Star For Not Wearing Sponsor's Undergarments

Before Luis Suárez’s cannibalistic ways of gaining international attention during the World Cup, FIFA had already been handling another case that involved Brazilian striker Neymar Jr. After Monday’s match, when Brazil won over Cameroon 4-1, landing a spot in the Round of 16, Neymar proceeded to take off his jersey for the traditional post-game swap. Soon after he did this, red flags went up because he wasn’t wearing the appropriate underwear.

Neymar happened to be wearing undergarments of his choice and not the sponsored brand that players should be donning. According to Brazilian outlet UOL, an investigation is underway. Although this situation might seem ridiculous or even bizarre, it’s happened in the past. Danish player Nicklas Bendtner was fined with £80,000 (about $136,000) by UEFA (European football's governing body), when he celebrated a goal by lifting his shirt and exposing the waistband of his underpants with the name of a betting firm in the 2012 European Championships.

Neymar himself has been involved in a similar situation too. Back in April, during the Champions League match between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona, he exposed the waistband of his briefs several times, calling attention to the brand he was wearing. Later, the company turned that into publicity and Neymar and his management had to prove that he didn’t do it intentionally and he was not trying to promote the competing brand.

FIFA is determined to advertise their sponsors in every way they can, going as far as barring players from wearing non-Sony headphones inside stadiums, and even forcing Brazilian lawmakers to allow the sale of beer inside the venues, despite their “no alcohol in stadiums” law, so Budweiser, one of the sponsors, could sell their product during the World Cup.