Neymar insists Marseille defender called him 'monkey son of a b**ch'

Neymar Jr. is insisting that Paris Saint-Germain and Ligue 1 authorities must look into the racial abuse he allegedly suffered from Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez in last Sunday's Le Classique.

The altercation broke out in the closing stages of the match which Marseille won, 1-0. According to a report by Marca, the Brazilian is claiming that Gonzalez called him a "monkey son of a b**ch." Neymar admits that it was easy enough for VAR to see him hitting the Marseille player, but the verbal abuse he received can't easily be seen on video.

"I was punished with a red card because I wanted to hit someone who offended me. I thought I couldn't leave [the pitch] without doing something because I realised those in charge would not do anything, did not notice or ignored the fact," said Neymar, after explaining that he and his teammates had initially asked for help but were ignored.

Alvaro has since denied Neymar's allegations. In a Twitter post, the Spanish defender shared a photo of himself posing alongside several black teammates. In the caption, he said, "There is no place for racism. A clean career and with many colleagues and friends on a daily basis." He also made a dig at Neymar, appearing to say that the latter is a sore loser. "Sometimes you have to learn to lose and take it on the field," he said.

Meanwhile, Neymar is not convinced. "You know what you said. I know what I did," he said. He also claims that his only regret is not hitting Alvaro in the face.

"An action led to a reaction and got to where it did. I accept my punishment because I should have followed the path of clean football. I hope, on the other hand, that the offender will also be punished," said Neymar.

Meanwhile, as the Brazilian continues to portray himself s the victim in the situation, the reality is that he not only received a red card, he may also be facing a suspension for sarcastically applauding the referee after he was sent off.