Neymar ruled out of Copa America with ankle injury picked up in Qatar friendly

Neymar ruled out of Copa America with ankle ligament damage after limping out of Qatar friendly and being left sidelined in tears

  • Neymar has been ruled out of the Copa America with an ankle ligament injury 
  • The striker was forced from the field 20 minutes into a friendly against Qatar 
  • Neymar had ice placed onto his foot though coach Tite hoped it was ‘not serious’ 

Brazil forward Neymar has been ruled out of the Copa America with an ankle ligament injury picked up during a warm-up fixture.

The 27-year-old suffered the setback in the 20th minute of the Selecao’s 2-0 friendly win over Qatar on Wednesday and had to be helped from the pitch by medical staff.

‘After suffering a sprain in his right ankle during last Wednesday’s game against Qatar, Neymar was evaluated and subjected to complementary imaging tests that confirmed ligament rupture in the ankle,’ read an official Brazil statement.

Brazil superstar Neymar was left in tears on the bench after damaging ligaments in a friendly

The forward had to be helped from the pitch with his ankle in a huge padding of ice

The forward had to be helped from the pitch with his ankle in a huge padding of ice

Neymar has been ruled out of the Copa America with an ankle ligament injury

Neymar has been ruled out of the Copa America with an ankle ligament injury

The 27-year-old suffered the setback in the 20th minute of the Selecao's 2-0 friendly win over Qatar on

The 27-year-old suffered the setback in the 20th minute of the Selecao’s 2-0 friendly win over Qatar on

‘Due to the seriousness of the injury, Neymar will not have the physical conditions and sufficient recovery time to participate in the Copa America Brasil 2019.’

Hosts Brazil kick off the tournament on June 14 against Bolivia, with the final set to be played on July 7 at the Maracana in Rio.

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