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Former Brazil captain Neymar sanctioned by sports tribunal for actions after his red card in match against Bahia.

Santos captain Neymar has been handed a two-match suspension for covering his mouth while arguing with an opponent during Saturday’s 1-1 Brazilian Serie A draw with Bahia, Brazil’s Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) said.

The 34-year-old was sent off following an altercation with Bahia midfielder Rodrigo Nestor, and the sports tribunal found him guilty of violating the Vinicius Junior rule that forbids players from covering their mouths during on-field confrontations.

The STJD said the referee’s report also noted that Neymar, after being sent off, ran towards the visitors’ bench to confront his opponent and had to be restrained by teammates.

The suspension means Neymar will miss Santos’ next three matches. He is already banned for Wednesday’s league game against Palmeiras after accumulating three yellow cards and will serve two additional matches for the protocol violation.

Neymar and Santos can appeal the ruling.

The latest suspension comes three months after Neymar became the first player in Brazil’s top flight to be temporarily removed from the field under a new rule being tested in the league to curb time-wasting by goalkeepers.

The former Brazil captain is not expected to return to action until late November.

Rule against covering mouths

In April, the International Football Association ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Board (IFAB) unanimously approved a rule whereby a red card would be given to football players who covered their mouths during a confrontation with an opponent or any other player on the pitch.

The FIFA-approved amendment was passed to address inappropriate behaviour before the World Cup.

It followed a UEFA Champions League match ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌where Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni made racially abusive comments directed at Vinicius Jr while pulling his jersey up over his mouth to hide what he was saying.

During the World Cup, Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron was given a one-match suspension after he became the first player to be sent off at the tournament for covering his mouth.

The Belarusian’s exit follows top seed Rybakina losing to unseeded Charaeva in her first match as world number one.

Aryna Sabalenka was swatted aside in straight sets by 34th-ranked Nikola Bartunkova in the third round of the China Open, leaving the event without its top two seeds as world number one Elena Rybakina was ousted in the second round.

Czech player Bartunkova, 20, sent down four aces to beat the former world number one 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 35 minutes on Sunday.

“I focused on myself, to be calm,” Bartunkova said.

“She’s a legend … so I’m really happy that I won the match,” she said of the four-time Grand Slam champion.

Bartunkova next faces Austria’s Sinja Kraus in the round of 16.

Second-seeded Sabalenka squandered five chances to break serve in the sixth game of the first set, with Bartunkova strong on defence and firing deep.

The 28-year-old from Belarus threw on a cap for the eighth game of the first set as the women switched between playing in the shade and the sun, but it did not turn the tide in her favour.

A frustrated Sabalenka tossed her racquet at a break down in the fourth game of the second set, and lost on the first match point when she returned into the net.

Earlier on Saturday, Elena Rybakina – who replaced Sabalenka as the world number one last month – was ousted by Alina Charaeva in the second round.

Top seed Alexander Zverev was scheduled to play Novak Djokovic later on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the men’s 500-level event also taking place.

The 39-year-old Serbian great enters the match with an extraordinary unbeaten streak in Beijing, but Zverev — last month’s US Open champion — is in the running for the top men’s ranking.