Want Backheel Breakfast in your inbox? Sign up for the email version here.
Backheel Breakfast: Referee reveals insults Neymar directed at him
They were mean!
Neymar won’t play again in Copa America, and now we know exactly why. He got an automatic one-game suspension for his sending off, then an additional three for insulting Chilean referee Enrique Osses after the game. Osses’ report has been revealed, and he says Neymar waited around in the tunnel so he could tell the ref “you want to make yourself famous at my expense, you son of a b----.”
Upon hearing this news, Brazil decided to drop their appeal of his suspension. CONMEBOL could have tacked on a few games of World Cup qualifying suspension if they found the appeal to be frivolous.
In the news
Colombia: “The U.S. talk too much and disrespect us.” USWNT: “What?” (FOX Soccer)
Parma are probably going bankrupt and dropping to Serie D. (Eurosport)
Mario Mandzukic is about to sign for Juventus after completing a medical. (Juventus)
Inter went and stole Geoffrey Kondogbia right out from under Milan’s noses. (Guardian)
Your goal of the weekend comes from England U-21’s Jesse Lingard. (r/soccer)
Apparently Madrid’s big stars are pretty mad at Florentino Perez. (AS)
John Terry’s up for the bantz. First, he said Petr Cech will save Arsenal 15 points a year. (Telegraph)
Then he went and defended Raheem Sterling. So he’s trying to cost two rivals some money. (Mirror)
You should be reading
Brian Phillips on Abby Wambach and the USWNT’s expectations. (Grantland)
Richard Farley on Germany’s demolition of Sweden changing the landscape of the World Cup. (Soccer Gods)
Leander Schaerlaeckens on Jill Ellis’ obsession with stats and analytics. (Vice)
Fun with transfer rumors
The section in which nothing should be taken seriously. It’s rumor season, so this section will be expanded, and as the summer rolls on, it will probably be bigger than the actual news section.
Andrea Pirlo looks set for NYCFC. Is it a good move for them? (Hudson River Blue)
Juventus aren’t done spending. They’re after Oscar and Stevan Jovetic. (Football Italia)
Liverpool have upped their offer for Asier Illaramendi. (Marca)
And they’re looking into other big money stars. (Star)
West Ham think they’re going to sign Dimitri Payet. (Guardian)
Sunderland are looking into Andros Townsend. (Newcastle Chronicle)
Madrid want a River Plate youngster. (AS)
This weekend’s games
Australia upset Brazil, and they’re awesome. You should like them.
Dzsenifer Marozsan and Germany laid a beating on Sweden.
And if France’s performance against South Korea is any indication, Les Bleus are ready for their quarterfinal against the Germans.
Brazil won their first Copa America game without Neymar. (Sky Sports)
Colombia and Peru drew 0-0, sending both through. (Guardian)
Pour one out for Switzerland, a really fun team that had no end product.
Argentina won again, but still don’t look like world beaters.
You can find highlights of all this weekend’s MLS games here. (MLS)
What to watch on Monday (click for listings, all times ET)
WWC: Norway vs. England (5 p.m.) - Maybe the most evenly matched World Cup Round of 16 game.
WWC: USA vs. Colombia (8 p.m.) - Likely easier than the USWNT’s group stage games.











