Neymar leaves Copa America

Posted Tuesday, June 23, 2015 by Foxsports.com

Brazil forward Neymar has left the national team and departed from Chile after a decision was made not to appeal against his four-match Copa America ban.

Neymar was initially hit with a one-match ban after he was shown a red card after the final whistle during Brazil's 1-0 loss to Colombia on Thursday, but that suspension was later upgraded to a four-match ban following a hearing into the matter.

The Barcelona man not only attempted to head-butt a Colombia player after the game had ended, but also launched a verbal tirade at referee Enrique Osses.

With Brazil refusing to appeal his four-match ban, Neymar decided to leave as he didn't want to distract his team-mates from winning the Copa America.

"I waited with great faith and hope that there would be a possibility of me playing for Brazil again in this Copa America, but unfortunately it will not be possible," Neymar wrote on his official Instagram account. "I know my presence in the group is important, but other players now more than ever have to be focused on the upcoming games.

"I will be cheering for the team's success but to stay in training would kill me inside. It would be joyless. It's very hard to train without having anything to aim for and I could easily pick up an injury.

"Staying with the squad could lead to concentration issues and would distract from the main objective of winning the competition."

Neymar also apologised for his actions after the Colombia game and admitted that his emotions had got the better of him.

"I never dodged the responsibility of being a leader of the group," he added. "As a captain I always go in search of victories and make decisions – whether erroneous or right – and this is a moment of decision-making.

"I apologise to my colleagues for putting people in this situation, but I'm sure it will be a learning curve in my career."

Brazil's next Copa America fixture is a quarter-final clash with Paraguay on Saturday. Should they win that match, they will play either Argentina or Colombia once again in the semi-final.