Neymar is sick of getting criticized for partying

Brazil and Barcelona agreed before the summer started that Neymar should only play in one summer tournament, and Brazil chose the Olympics. Because of that, Neymar hung out out with celebrities throughout Brazil’s disastrous Copa América, and he’s been spotted at a number of other parties since. He’s been criticized for it, and he hit back on Tuesday.

“You have to look at the things that I do on the pitch. Anything else is private,” Neymar said. “When I’m off the pitch, that’s my private life. You have to judge me on the pitch. I have no problem talking about cards or sendings-off, but I have a private life. I’m 24 years old.” He continued, “I also like to go out and have fun with my friends. I have my family and friends. Why can I not go out and enjoy parties? I can do that and will continue to. If I’m aware of my duties the next day, I see no problem.”

And then he asked a very relevant question to all of the reporters. “Imagine you’re 24 years old, earning what I earn and having all that I have. Wouldn’t you be the same as me?”

The answer, of course, is yes for a large number of them. And when you’re playing as well as he has over the last couple of years, it’s hard to see his partying as a real problem. His coaches certainly don’t think so, and their opinions are the only ones that really matter.

Head coach Sigi Schmid has been let go by the Seattle Sounders. (MLS)

Gonzalo Higuaín is officially a Juventus player. (Juventus FC)

Pep Guardiola has banned pizza and made overweight players train away from the rest of the Manchester City squad. (Telegraph)

Marko Arnautovic signed a contract extension with Stoke, ending Everton’s chase of him. (@stokecity)

Despite rumors linking him to Juventus, Javier Mascherano has signed a new deal with Barca. (FC Barcelona)

The FA is experimenting with allowing more substitutes in extra time of late-stage FA Cup games. (BBC)

Per Mertesacker will miss a couple months with a knee injury. (Guardian)

Here are the squads for MLS All-Stars vs. Arsenal. (SI)

John Duerden on South Korea’s battle against match-fixing. (The Set Pieces)

James Horncastle on the pros and cons of every possible decision for Paul Pogba. (ESPN FC)

Colin Millar on Chievo’s ascent from amateur football to Serie A mainstays. (The Gentlemen Ultra)

Please don’t take anything in this section too seriously, for your own sanity.

Arek Milik is expected to replace Gonzalo Higuaín at Napoli, but his agent says nothing is certain yet. (Football Italia)

It’ll take £40 million-plus for someone to sign Alexandre Lacazette. (Mirror)

Manchester City thinks they’ll sign John Stones, and might sign Leo Bonucci too. (Guardian)

Josuha Guilavogui is rumored to be moving from Wolfsburg to Monaco. (Bild)

Valencia is expected to sign Martín Montoya from Barcelona. (AS)

Polish wonderkid Bartosz Kapustka appears bound for Leicester. (Mail)

International Champions Cup: 3 games (from 7:30 p.m.) -- Is it a real competition? No, but it’s your favorite players wearing their club shirts and playing on channels you actually get.

Copa Libertadores: Atlético Nacional vs. Independiente Del Valle (8:45 p.m.) -- Atlético Nacional is expected to win the final after drawing the first leg 1-1 away from home. The Colombian side was the top seed out of the group stage and has won every knockout tie outright since.