Neymar penalty decision should have stood – Tite

A penalty awarded to Neymar in Brazil’s World Cup clash against Costa Rica which was overturned following a VAR intervention should have stood, according to head coach Tite.

Neymar went to ground when tussling for the ball with Giancarlo Gonzalez in the second half, when the game was still goalless, with referee Bjorn Kuipers going back on his original decision after replays suggested the Paris Saint-Germain forward had tumbled too easily.

It looked like being the game’s biggest talking point until Phillipe Coutinho and Neymar each scored in injury time to earn Brazil a crucial 2-0 win in the Group E contest in St Petersburg.

Tite later addressed the media to say he would have backed his first instinct and offered his support to Neymar.

“If I was the referee I wouldn’t go back on my decision but I respect that because it’s subject to interpretation,” said the 57-year-old. “We don’t need referees in order to win the game; we just want it to be fair. You should look at all of the plays and then make a decision. For me it was a penalty.

“We don’t need any help – the athletes and the coach don’t want any help to win.”

After the match, an emotional Neymar was seen in tears with his head in his hands, a moment Tite says he did not see.

He added: “I just went to my corner and waited for the adrenaline to calm down. I didn’t even see it.

“I think the joy, the satisfaction and the pride of representing Brazil is a lot. He has the responsibility, the joy, the pressure and the courage to show it.

“Every person shows it the way they can. I am a very emotional guy and I respect the individual characteristics.”

Tite said that Neymar, who endured a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a metatarsal injury before the World Cup, is still regaining form and full fitness as Brazil’s Group E campaign unfolds.

He backed the 26-year-old to get back to his best, saying: “His individuality shows up if the whole group is playing well so you can’t put the responsibility on one player.

“I have to take my responsibility, so does everyone else on the team. He was three-and-a-half months out with injury.

“He is a human being – he needs some time to resume his high standard. Before he does that there is a team that has to be strong and not dependent on him.

“He’s going to make it. He’s going to reach the top, you’ll see.”