Neymar injured in pre-Copa America friendly

Brasilia, June 6 (IANS) Brazil's preparations for the Copa America suffered a blow after star forward Neymar was injured during a friendly with Qatar.Neymar limped off the pitch in the 22nd minute of the match at Mane Garrincha stadium on Wednesday after his right ankle appeared to be injured in a tackle, reports Xinhua news agency. The 27-year-old was later seen crying while being evaluated by medical staff on the Brazil bench.Neymar missed most of the second half of the 2018-19 season with Paris Saint-Germain because of a fractured metatarsal in his right foot. He started Wednesday's match despite a police investigation launched last Friday into accusations that he raped a women in a Paris hotel.The Copa America will be played in five Brazilian cities from June 14 to July 7. Brazil have been drawn in Group A alongside Bolivia, Peru and Venezuela.
--IANS aak/in