Neymar leaves Brazil training session limping

SOCHI, RUSSIA » Neymar limped out of Brazil’s training session at the World Cup on Tuesday because of pain in his right ankle.

The Brazilian soccer confederation said the injury was not serious, adding Neymar left as a precaution and would be back in training on Wednesday.

The federation said Neymar has been in pain since the team’s 1-1 draw against Switzerland on Friday, when he was consistently fouled.

Neymar started practicing with the rest of the squad but left accompanied by a doctor about 30 minutes into the session in Sochi.

He had been playing keep-away with a few other players when he started showing signs of discomfort in his ankle. He was visibly in pain after he tried to intercept a ball with his right foot while at the center of the keep-away circle.

At one point, he bent down and grabbed his ankle, but tried to continue playing anyway. A few moments later he finally decided to leave, kicking a ball away with his left foot before limping away beside the team doctor.

“Neymar left the training session with some pain in his right ankle because of the number of fouls he suffered in the game against Switzerland,” federation spokesman Vinicius Rodrigues said.

Rodrigues said Neymar would continue his recovery process but was set to practice normally on Wednesday, two days before the team’s match against Costa Rica in St. Petersburg.

Banned ex-FIFA president Blatter in Russia

MOSCOW » Banned by FIFA, Sepp Blatter was back at the World Cup on Tuesday expecting to see two games and hopefully Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The former FIFA president landed in Moscow to fulfil a twoyear-old invitation from the host nation’s leader. Both did essential work to help ensure Russia won the tournament hosting rights eight years ago.

“I am the guest of the organizing committee, but they will make an arrangement to see the president if it were possible,” Blatter told reporters at a five-star hotel in central Moscow, adding a meeting with Putin “has not yet been fixed.”

Blatter posed for photographs with fans from Mexico and Portugal on arriving at his downtown base after flying from Zurich.

The one-time globe-trotting football leader, with a famed capacity to defy jet lag, has rarely flown in recent years since American and Swiss investigators unsealed sweeping investigations in May 2015 of corruption and bribery linked to international soccer and marketing officials, including some FIFA vice presidents. He announced his intention to resign days later.