In the round of 16 of Qatar 2022, in which Brazil and South Korea met, there was a South American victory. However, more than the objectives, A video of Neymar inhaling a substance that his teammate Casemiro offered him has gone viral.
Of course, this would not be an illegal or inconsistent product anti-doping sports. No athlete would use a prohibited drug or ointment in the middle of a match and with the possibility of being caught on camera.
With Neymar returning from an injury which prevented him from starting in the group stage, the substance was said to be related to her recovery. But the explanation is simpler and we analyze it here.
What was the image of the controversy?
Before the start of the match between Brazil and South Korea, Casemiro approached Neymar and touched his nose. Then he hugged him.
Multiple cameras installed in the stadium captured the sequence and it didn’t take long for the moment to go viral. When it materialized before kick-off, suspicions were raised about it.
Then in the second half Casemiro approached Neymar again, checked his nose and touched him again. This happened in the middle of a stopped ball that Brazil had to move.
As it turned out later, it was not only Neymar who used this substance for inhalation. Raphinha also took advantage of this.
In any case, Neymar’s media exposure was greater and There was even speculation that FIFA would request a check anti-doping to the PSG striker. The truth is that the Brazilian has not been summoned for a test by the official bodies and the Brazilian technical team has already formally clarified everything.
What substance did Neymar inhale during the match?
Coach Zé Mario Campeiz made this clear the substance that Neymar and Raphinha inhaled is a decongestant in the form of an ointment. It’s something similar to what many parents use with their children when they have a cold; before going to sleep, for example.
In fact, it is not the first time that the same method has been used. Already in Russia 2018 there had been a similar controversy due to similar scenes that the cameras had caught.
Qatar’s weather conditions are not ideal for the practice of a professional outdoor sport. The question of the players’ oxygenation is a problem for the health bodies.
The ointment that Neymar used would be of little help in clearing the airways and facilitating the entry of air. It’s known that the percentage of humidity in the atmosphere is able to modify the dynamics of inspiration and expiration. Without having a cold, a player may find it difficult to breathe while running.
Decongestants are usually substances that reduce blood flow to the lining of the nose. Decongesting is, in simple terms, reducing the accumulation of fluids in certain areas.
Not all decongestants are legal in football
The substance used by Neymar is assumed to be legal due to its very public use. But you have to understand that not all decongestants are allowed in professional football.
Many of the drugs marketed for this purpose have been banned in sport because they would stimulate performance through an ergogenic pathway. Such is the case with the pseudoephedrine, common in many cold counter presentations. The same is true for dimethylamylamine.
The problem with calcium is that the decongestants in cold medicines stimulate receptors called alpha-1. These receptors are related to the constriction of blood vessels. The decongestant therefore limits the flow of blood to the mucous membrane of the nose.
However, the receptors aren’t just in the nose. The effect of these drugs can spread to other organs that have the same receptors. For this reason, caution is advised in its use when the person is hypertensive, for example, as they may experience an increase in blood pressure due to the systemic effect of the drug.
Could the substance Neymar inhaled be ammonia?
Although medical staff and physical trainers in Brazil have already claimed that the substance Neymar inhaled was a legal decongestant for football, rumors circulated about the possibility that it was ammonia. Even so, this substance is also legal, but is usually sniffed through cotton soaked in it.
In Russia 2018, there was also controversy about this. Images of the Russian team inhaling ammonia before matches have raised questions from viewers.
Ammonia is not illegal for controls anti-doping. Well, there is no certainty that it is effective in improving athletic performance.
In theory, inhalation irritates the respiratory mucosa and sends a signal to the nervous system to increase the rate of breathing. By breathing faster, the heart increases its pumping to compensate and there would be better blood distribution to the muscles.
That means, ammonia would cheat to the body to make it think it needs more oxygen and more blood quickly. Professional boxers and weightlifters have been using it for decades.
However, there are reservations regarding safety. Some scientific investigations he warned that ammonia could mask neurological conditions and delay timely treatment. Especially in sports with the possibility of skull injuries.
Neymar continues, Brazil continues
Neymar returned to football in the round of 16 after spraining his ankle. The controversy over the substance he inhaled will not escalate because it seems clear that it is a legal practice. Performance on the pitch will tell us if the Brazilian players have been able to counteract the Qatari climate, with or without ointments.
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