Brazilian club Santos confirmed that Neymar's absence from the first team's trip to Venezuela to face Universidad Central in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana qualifiers was due to physical deficiency, especially after the controversy sparked by the player's participation in a card game tournament in São Paulo on match day. Neymar had taken part in the World Cup, but a calf injury limited his appearances, with his contributions restricted to just two out of five matches, and he scored a penalty against Norway (1-2) in the round of 16. After returning to Brazil, he joined Santos training. Despite Santos' 4-1 away win on Thursday in the second-tier continental competition, Neymar's absence did not go unnoticed among critics and fans. However, Spanish newspaper Marca quoted coach Cuca as saying that the player's absence from the trip was a technical decision to prepare him for a grueling schedule that requires him to play four matches in 10 days. He added: 'Since he was out of action for a few days and did not get a break, we decided to let him become stronger and train hard so he can play a series of matches.' He continued: 'We will play four matches in 10 days, so what is the point of bringing him here? You saw how difficult and exhausting the trip was. He stayed in the city to train, just like Willian Arao, João Schmidt, and Igor Vinícius, and this gives us more options for upcoming commitments.' Neymar, the former star of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Al Hilal, posted photos on his social media accounts of his participation in that tournament, captioning them 'Life is a joke,' a phrase interpreted by many as a reaction to the ongoing controversy that has accompanied a large part of his career due to his off-field decisions.