Neymar misconduct hearing postponed

Neymar is free to play in Santos' March 3 clash against rivals Corinthians after a hearing into a misconduct charge against the striker was postponed by a Brazilian sports tribunal. The charge relates to the 21-year-old's altercation with Ponte Preta defenders Artur and Cleber during Santos' surprise 3-1 defeat to the recently promoted Serie A outfit in Brazil's Campeonato Paulista last Sunday. "We made a request for his case to be deferred and it was accepted," Santos' legal adviser Joao Vicente Gazolla told the club's website on Friday. Neymar was sent off for the incident and could face a 12-match ban for "hostile behavior and physical aggression", according to Lancenet. Despite the hearing's postponement to March 4, Neymar will be ineligible for Sunday's match between Santos and XV de Piracicaba due to an automatic one-game ban for the dismissal. Source : XINHUA