Neymar gets one match ban for Marseille red

Paris (AFP) – Neymar was handed a one-match ban on Thursday after being sent off in PSG’s explosive 2-2 draw at bitter rivals Marseille at the weekend.

The Brazilian forward will miss Friday’s Ligue 1 visit from Mario Balotelli’s Nice.

Neymar grabbed a brilliant equaliser in a fiery encounter at Marseille Sunday before his side went down 2-1 with ten minutes to go.

Leading the chase for another equaliser, Neymar appeared to lose his cool, picking up two yellows in quick succession for retaliation.

His teammate Edinson Cavani levelled with a dramatic injury-time free-kick to save a point for the Ligue 1 leaders.

PSG coach Unai Emery has told his 25-year-old star to wise up to provocation tactics.

“He is intelligent. He is also aware that he must learn from what happened on Sunday,” said Emery.

“I spoke to him about it before the match and we said not to get involved in any provocation. But on the pitch, with the intensity and the aggression, the players are people

The 222 million-euro ($264 million) Brazilian has scored 10 goals in 11 games since his move from Barcelona.

Neymar was also given a further one-match suspended ban that will be activated should he be sent off again this season.