Santos superstar Neymar was a notable absentee from the squad as Cuca’s side secured a dominant victory in the Copa Sudamericana on Tuesday night. Rather than flying to Venezuela for the continental clash, the Brazilian icon was spotted competing in a professional poker tournament in São Paulo.

High stakes at the poker table

While his Santos teammates were battling on the pitch in Venezuela, Neymar was busy testing his luck and skill at the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) Winter edition. The forward, who has a well-documented passion for the card game, was spotted at the Golden Hall of the WTC Complex in Sao Paulo participating in the fourth stage of the national championship, according to ESPN Brazil. It is a familiar haunt for the Santos hero; during his participation in the same tournament in 2025, Neymar pocketed R$53,500.

The timing of his appearance raised eyebrows among some supporters, as it occurred just hours before Santos kicked off their crucial playoff tie. However, his presence at the event was not a case of going AWOL. The club had already made the decision to leave their marquee player behind to focus on a specific fitness programme following his return from a disappointing World Cup campaign.

Cuca explains the superstar’s absence

Santos manager Cuca was quick to clarify the situation surrounding his star man after the 4-1 victory over Universidad Central. The veteran coach insisted that the decision to leave Neymar out was primarily aimed at ensuring he was fully rested following his international commitment.

“Since he was sidelined for a few days and didn’t have a holiday, we decided to let him get even stronger, training hard so he could have a run of games,” Cuca explained after the match. “Now, in ten days, we’re going to play four matches. What advantage would it be to bring him here? You saw how hard and exhausting the trip is. He stayed there working, just like [Willian] Arao, Joao Schmidt, and Igor Vinicius, and that gives us more options for the upcoming games.”

Despite his evening at the poker table, Neymar has been putting in the work at the club’s training ground. He had recently shared a video on social media showing him scoring goals and looking sharp in training drills. The manager’s plan appears to be focused on ensuring Neymar is at 100 percent for the domestic campaign, where the club is currently struggling in 15th place in the league table.

Successful night for the Peixe

Even without their talisman, Santos proved far too strong for Universidad Central, putting one foot firmly in the Copa Sudamericana round of 16. The Brazilian giants romped to a 4-1 victory in Venezuela, establishing a commanding cushion ahead of next week’s second leg at the Vila Belmiro. Should they finish the job, Ecuadorian giants Macara await in the next round.

When asked if his No. 10 would return for the upcoming league fixture, Cuca confirmed Neymar will be back in action against Chapecoense this Saturday. The decisive away win eases the pressure on their continental campaign, allowing the club to shift its entire focus back to domestic duties for the weekend.

Life after international retirement

This period marks a significant transition for Neymar, who recently called time on his legendary career with the Selecao. The forward announced his retirement from international football following Brazil’s shock 2-1 loss to Norway at the 2026 World Cup, an exit that left the player in tears. Having scored 80 goals in 130 appearances for his country, he stepped away from the world stage at the MetLife Stadium.

With his international duties now a thing of the past, the focus for the remainder of his career is firmly on his club commitments with Santos. The Peixe are desperate for his leadership and goal-scoring prowess to navigate a congested fixture list. If he can stay fit and replicate the sharp form shown in recent training sessions, his presence will be the deciding factor in whether Santos can salvage their season.

Argentina fly half Tomas Albornoz has been charged with misconduct and faces a disciplinary hearing after “remonstrating with match officials” follow his side’s defeat to England in Santiago del Estero.

Albornoz was denied a chance to kick for a potential draw after a last-minute try was ruled out by referee Angus Gardner in consultation with television match official (TMO) Brett Cronan.

The officials ruled that Bautista Delguy had grounded the ball simultaneously on the try-line and corner flag, and thus not scored, as England held on for a 31-24 victory.

Albornoz appeared to approach Gardner and his assistants aggressively thereafter, and has now been charged by World Rugby under its Match Official Abuse Sanction Process,

The details of his disciplinary hearing will be released in due course.

“The Match Official Abuse Sanction Process was introduced to complement Regulation 18 and provide a clearer and more consistent framework for addressing public criticism of match officials, particularly where such comments may contribute to wider online abuse,” World Rugby explained in a statement.

“Developed by a cross-game working group including competition owner, match official playing and coaching representation and championed by Union CEOs, the process reflects a unified commitment to support and protect match officials.”

Argentina were disappointed that Delguy’s try was chalked off, and that no penalty try was awarded for an apparent high tackle by Noah Caluori.

Head coach Felipe Contepomi later accused the visitors of showing a “lack of respect” after abruptly leaving his press conference with England playing celebratory music nearby.

AEW star Sammy Guevara was rumoured to leave All Elite Wrestling. In the past few days, many revelations were made regarding his run. He has been one of the most precise high flyers in the Jacksonville-based promotion. Despite his immense talent, he hasn’t been able to become ‘the’ star in the company. Recently, he changed his X handle’s bio, where there was no mention of AEW.

This started the rumour that the Spanish God may be out of the company soon. Despite the talk, he was still present on the official roster page. Upon investigation, reports revealed that nobody among the AEW roster seems to know what is going on with the former TNT Champion. However, suspicion arose because in a recent interview he expressed frustration about his absence from AEW.

While speaking on Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez said there was no mention of AEW in Sammy Guevara’s bio before. However, someone started a rumour that AEW was removed from his bio because he probably wants to leave the company.

“So what happened was, he tweeted ‘New bio,’ and somebody went up there, looked at his bio, saw there was no AEW mentioned in it, and then they spread around the internet that he had ‘removed’ AEW from his bio. I have been told that he never had AEW in his bio. AEW was never removed from his bio. Someone thought he had removed it from his bio, which is why this whole story came out that he wanted out or had gotten his release. So really, nothing has changed at all over the last week. So that’s the update,” he said. [H/T – Ringside News]

Update on Sammy Guevara’s wife

While investigating the Spanish God’s whereabouts, major news about his wife, Tay Melo, surfaced. According to Wrestling Observer Live, Tay requested her release from AEW last year. However, it was denied.

“Multiple sources told me that Tay Melo requested a release last year but it was denied. It’s expected we will know what’s up when everyone gets to TV tomorrow,” said Alvarez.

It will be interesting to see when fans will see Sammy Guevara on AEW TV.