SAO PAULO (AP) — Embarrassed and in tears after what he called one of the worst days of his life on a soccer field, Neymar gave Santos fans the right to protest and even offend after the team's 6-0 home loss in the Brazilian league.
Sunday's defeat to Vasco da Gama prompted Santos to fire coach Cleber Xavier.
“Totally disappointed with our game,” Neymar said. “The fans have the right to all types of protests, obviously without going over the line. But they have the right to curse, to offend. It’s a feeling of a lot of shame, I had never gone through this in my life, but unfortunately it happened.”
Neymar left the field in tears. He was consoled by one of Santos’ backroom staff after a game that saw Vasco’s Philippe Coutinho score twice.
“The crying was for being upset, for everything,” he said. “Unfortunately I couldn’t help in any way. We were (expletive), that’s the reality.”
Neymar, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star, returned to his boyhood club in January after an underwhelming spell in Saudi Arabia and signed a contract extension in June keeping him at Santos until the end of the year.
Xavier took over the club in April.
“The club thanks the coach for the services provided,” Santos said, “and wishes him luck in the continuation of his career.”
The result left Santos — famously also the club of Brazil great Pele — in 15th place in the 20-team Brazilian top flight, two points above the relegation zone.
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FILE - Brazil's national soccer team coach Tite, right, talks with his advisor Cleber Xavier, before the start of a press conference announcing his roster of players for the upcoming friendly matches against Argentina, and Saudi Arabia, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, file)
NEW YORK (AP) — Incoming Mayor Zohran Mamdani took his midnight oath of office on a centuries-old Quran, marking the first time a mayor of New York City uses Islam’s holy text to be sworn in and underscoring a series of historic firsts for the city.
The 34-year-old Democrat became mayor in a long-closed subway station beneath City Hall, the first Muslim, first South Asian and first African-born person to hold that position.
These milestones — as well as the historical Quran — reflect the longstanding and vibrant Muslim residents of the nation's most populous city, according to a scholar who helped Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, select one of the books.
Most of Mamdani's predecessors were sworn in on a Bible, although the oath to uphold the federal, state and city constitutions does not require the use of any religious text.
And while he has focused heavily on the issue of affordability during his campaign, Mamdani was outspoken about his Muslim faith. He frequently appeared at mosques across the five boroughs as he built a base of support that included many first-time South Asian and Muslim voters.
Two Qurans were to be used during the subway ceremony: his grandfather's Quran and a pocket-sized version that dates back to the late 18th or early 19th century. It is part of the collection at the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
That copy of the Quran symbolizes the diversity and reach of the city's Muslims, said Hiba Abid, the library's curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies.
“It’s a small Quran, but it brings together elements of faith and identity in New York City history,” Abid said.
For a subsequent swearing-in ceremony at City Hall on the first day of the year, Mamdani will use both his grandfather's and grandmother's Qurans. The campaign hasn't offered more details on those heirlooms.
The manuscript was acquired by Arturo Schomburg, a Black Puerto Rican historian whose collection documented the global contributions of people of African descent. While it is unclear how Schomburg came into possession of the Quran, scholars believe it reflected his interest in the historical relationship between Islam and Black cultures in the United States and across Africa.
Unlike ornate religious manuscripts associated with royalty or elites, the copy of the Quran that Mamdani will use is modest in design. It has a deep red binding with a simple floral medallion and is written in black and red ink. The script is plain and readable, suggesting it was created for everyday use rather than ceremonial display.
Those features indicate the manuscript was intended for ordinary readers, Abid said, a quality she described as central to its meaning.
“The importance of this Quran lies not in luxury, but in accessibility,” she said.
Because the manuscript is undated and unsigned, scholars relied on its binding and script to estimate when it was produced, placing it sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century during the Ottoman period in a region that includes what is now Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan.
Abid said the manuscript’s journey to New York mirrors Mamdani’s own layered background. Mamdani is a South Asian New Yorker who was born in Uganda, while Duwaji is American-Syrian.
The meteoric rise of a Muslim democratic socialist also brought a surge of Islamophobic rhetoric, amplified by national attention on the race.
In an emotional speech days before the election, Mamdani said the hostility had only strengthened his resolve to be visible about his faith.
“I will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I’m proud to call my own,” he said. “I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light.”
The decision to use a Quran has drawn fresh criticism from some conservatives. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama wrote on social media, “The enemy is inside the gates,” in response to a news article about Mamdani’s inauguration. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil-rights group, has designated Tuberville as an anti-Muslim extremist based on past statements.
Such backlash is not new. In 2006, Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, faced condemnation from conservatives after he chose to use a Quran for his ceremonial oath.
Following the inauguration, the Quran will go on public display at the New York Public Library. Abid said she hopes attention surrounding the ceremony — whether supportive or critical — will prompt more people to explore the library’s collections documenting Islamic life in New York, ranging from early 20th century Armenian and Arabic music recorded in the city to firsthand accounts of Islamophobia after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“This manuscript was meant to be used by ordinary readers when it was produced,” Abid said. “Today it lives in a public library where anyone can encounter it.”
Associated Press writers Jake Offenhartz in New York and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed.
This photo provided by The New York Public Library shows the Schomburg Quran on Dec. 16, 2025 in New York. (Jonathan Blanc/The New York Public Library via AP)
This photo provided by The New York Public Library shows the Schomburg Quran on Dec. 16, 2025 in New York. (Jonathan Blanc/The New York Public Library via AP)
Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as mayor of New York City at Old City Hall Station, New York, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Amir Hamja/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Zohran Mamdani hugs his wife Rama Duwaji after he is sworn in as mayor of New York City at Old City Hall Station, New York, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (Amir Hamja/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Attorney General Letitia James, center, arrives for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's swearing-in ceremony, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in New York. (Amir Hamja/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
