SAO PAULO (AP) — Neymar, Memphis Depay and Thiago Silva are among the leading Brazilian footballers protesting against using artificial turf for league matches instead of natural grass.
They all campaigned online with the same message Tuesday highlighting their fear of increased injury risk for players on the artificial surfaces.
Some clubs in Brazil’s top divisions are using artificial turf to allow for multiple uses for stadiums while minimizing damage to the playing surfaces.
“It is worrying to see the direction Brazilian football is taking. With the size and representation of our sport, this debate shouldn’t even exist. In the most respected leagues in the world, players are heard and investments are made to ensure the quality of the pitch in the stadiums,” the footballers said in a statement. “The solution to a bad pitch is to make a good pitch, it is as simple as that. Soccer is natural, not artificial.”
Neymar has just returned to Santos, Depay plays for Corinthians and Thiago Silva is at Fluminense.
Defending Brazilian champion Botafogo, Palmeiras and Athletico Paranaense are among the clubs that have used artificial turf, which has resulted in some players who are veterans or returning from injury — including Neymar — to boycott away matches against those teams.
Palmeiras said in a statement that the criticism to its artificial turf is superficial and not based on science.
The club said the playing surface was certified by FIFA, the sport's world governing body, and has been subject to regular inspections since 2020, “so that it has the same parameters of a natural grass pitch in perfect state.”
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Brazil's Neymar walk onto the pitch during his debut for Santos FC in a Sao Paulo league soccer match against Botafogo-SP, in Santos, Brazil, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Brazil's Neymar is fouled by Botafogo-SP's Gabriel Risso during his debut for Santos FC in a Sao Paulo league soccer match in Santos, Brazil, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Brazil's Neymar grimaces in pain after he was fouled during his debut for Santos FC in a Sao Paulo league soccer match, against Botafogo-SP in Santos, Brazil, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 21, 2025--
Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, is investigating potential claims against Wildermuth Fund (“Wildermuth Fund” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: WESFX).
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251221973976/en/
Faruqi & Faruqi is a leading national securities law firm with offices in New York, Pennsylvania, California and Georgia. The firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors since its founding in 1995. See www.faruqilaw.com.
On June 29, 2023, the Fund announced that, based upon the recommendation of the Adviser, the Fund’s Board of Trustees had approved a plan of liquidation for the Fund (the “Liquidation Plan”). The Adviser Defendants reassured investors that there were no issues with the underlying investments held by the Fund and the Fund continued trading at or around a NAV of $10 per share. The reason for the liquidation stemmed from the loss of certain tax advantages.
On November 1, 2023, Daniel and Carol Wildermuth resigned from the Board and from their roles as officers of the Fund. Daniel Wildermuth further resigned as Chairman of the Board and the agreement with the Adviser was terminated. The Board replaced Wildermuth Advisory with BW Asset Management Ltd. (“BWAM”), a subsidiary of Kroll, as the Fund’s investment adviser.
Compared with reported values in March 2022, by October 2024, the value of the Fund’s investments had dropped by 63.6% and the NAV had declined by 73.7%. Compared to the values reported in March of 2023, by October 2024, the value of the Fund’s investments had dropped by 47.4% and the NAV had declined by 57.7%, in comparison to the March 2023 valuations. Finally, by 2024, Kroll revised its NAV to less than $2.00 per share, an 80% reduction in NAV per share.
To learn more about the Wildermuth Fund investigation, go to www.faruqilaw.com/WESFX or call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310).
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SHAREHOLDER INVESTIGATION: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Examining Potential Securities Law Violations at The Wildermuth Fund
