Man Utd transfer flop Memphis Depay forces league bosses to introduce new rule

Memphis Depay struggled to make an impact during his time in the Premier League with Manchester United but his actions at his current club have prompted a rule change

The Brazilian FA (CBF) has introduced a new measure to stop players jumping on top of the ball. The body took action after an incident involving former Manchester United forward Memphis Depay, confirming the action should be punished with a yellow card from here on out.

Memphis, a big-money United signing during Louis van Gaal’s time in charge, struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford. He has had more success since, though, impressing in France and Spain before joining current club Corinthians in September.

With the Brazilian league not adopting the FIFA calendar, this season is the Dutch international’s first full campaign in the country’s top division, Serie A. He missed the season opener against Bahia, but contributed a goal and an assist as Corinthians beat Vasco da Gama on Saturday.

The previous week, though, Memphis’ antics in the Campeonato Paulista raised eyebrows. He jumped on the ball during the final of the competition, where Corinthians beat Palmeiras on aggregate, prompting a mass brawl which has led the CBF to impose a penalty on any player who does the same during the league season.

“With our best regards, we would like to take this opportunity to address a prominent issue in Brazilian and South American football that, in theory, has a negative impact on our sport,” a CBF letter to club presidents reads (via ESPN Brasil).

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“This is caused by a specific behaviour that has caused disruption to the game environment, producing widespread confrontations, and greatly damaging the image of the sport, which has a broad national and international reach.”

“This involves a player stepping on the ball with both feet, with the intention of provoking the opposing team,” the letter continues. “This fact, in addition to the risk of injury to the player himself, generates widespread disruptions in the matches.”

The CBF has confirmed it has instructed referees to award an indirect free-kick on occasions when players repeat Memphis’ trick. Any player responsible will also be punished with a yellow card.

Memphis, who scored seven goals in 11 Serie A appearances last season, combined with Yuri Alberto for the first two goals against Vasco. Each man set up the other, before a stoppage time own goal from Joao Victor rounded off the scoring.

Corinthians’ next league game comes against Palmeiras on April 12. Before then, though, the club will return to continental action with a Copa Sudamericana clash against Colombian side America de Cali.

The Sao Paulo side lost their first group game at home to Huracan of Argentina. Corinthians made it all the way to the semi-finals of the competition in 2024, with eventual champions Racing Club bringing their run to an end.

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