Neymar in danger of missing El Clasico after mocking 4th official

An unnecessary act of petulance could force Neymar to watch the next installment of El Clasico from the stands.

The Barcelona attacker was sent off in Saturday's harrowing 2-0 defeat to Malaga, and while his pair of yellow cards carry an automatic one-match suspension, he could be hit with an additional ban for sarcastically applauding the fourth official as he walked off the pitch.

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Per ESPN FC, referee Jesus Gil Manzano made note of Neymar's mock clapping in his post-match report, which could result in as many as three additional matches tacked on to his suspension; with the trip to the Bernabeu slated for April 23, just one added match would be enough to see the lithe Brazilian superstar sidelined for the star-studded encounter.

"The player Neymar Da Silva Santos Jr, after being sent off, when he was entering the tunnel, and (sarcastically) applauded the fourth official," Manzano's report read.

Barcelona, after Tuesday's Champions League trip to Juventus, hosts Real Sociedad on April 15 in its next La Liga fixture. Neymar will definitely sit that one out as he serves his automatic one-game ban.

Following a return leg against the Italian giant, the next league contest is the Clasico in question, in the Spanish capital.

Neymar's red card on Saturday, his first with the Blaugrana, was procured after a pair of easily avoidable transgressions; his first booking was for fidgeting with his boots and delaying a Malaga free-kick in the opening half, while he was sent to the showers in the 65th minute after a reckless, entirely needless tackle on Diego Llorente.