Nego, a player with Brazilian side CSA, was detained by Military Police (PM) after arguing with a referee and shoving a police officer following his team's 2-1 loss to rival club CRB in the Alagoas state championship on Sunday.
Footage from Globo TV showed Nego getting into a shoving match with a police officer while trying to argue with referee Jose Ricardo Laranjeira after the final whistle, prompting another officer to step in and use pepper spray to keep him at bay.
Globo reported that Nego was later released but he and the club complained about his treatment.
CSA later complained that the police responded too harshly by using pepper spray and detaining Nego.
The match was also marked by fan violence on the stands.