SOCCER: Ancelotti shrugs off Neymar chants after Brazil lose to France

Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti played down fans' chants for Neymar, who was not selected for the squad, following their 2‑1 defeat to France in a warm-up game on Thursday, saying the focus should remain on the players on the field.

Neymar was left out after the 34-year-old missed a recent Santos FC match due to muscle fatigue – a game Ancelotti had planned to watch in person as part of his assessment ahead of naming the squad.

“Right now we have to talk about those who are here, who played, who gave everything, who showed character, who worked very hard. And I am satisfied,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“I think Raphinha played very well. He had some muscle discomfort at the end of the first half and we had to substitute him, but he had many opportunities and very good movement off the ball.

“And Vini (Vinicius Jr.) always tries; he always makes the difference. A striker cannot always score, but the work done by both of them was good.”

Neymar, Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, has not played for the national team since suffering a serious knee injury in October 2023 and has struggled to maintain a consistent run of matches since returning to Santos last year.

Ancelotti has repeatedly said the forward will be considered if he is fully fit. Despite the defeat and Neymar's absence, the Italian coach said the performance reinforced his belief in the squad's potential.

“I think today's game makes it very clear to me that we can compete with the best teams in the world. I have no doubt about that,” he said.

Brazil will next face Croatia on March 31 in Orlando, ahead of the World Cup in North America from June 11 to July 19.

-Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Christopher Cushing/Reuters