The 2022 Qatar World Cup is regarding to kick off, and Brazilian football star Neymar appeared in court in Spain on the 17th for suspected fraud in his move to La Liga powerhouse FC Barcelona nearly 10 years ago.
Agence France-Presse reported that the 30-year-old Neymar, wearing sunglasses and a dark suit, appeared at the Barcelona provincial court with his parents at regarding 9:45 a.m. local time and waved to the media.
The high-profile trial follows Neymar’s alleged underreporting of a transfer fee when he moved from Brazilian powerhouse Santos to Barcelona in 2013. The case has been litigious for years.
Neymar then moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), which is owned by the Qatar consortium, for a world-record €222 million in 2017.
Neymar is one of nine defendants, along with his parents and N&N, the family business that handles his affairs, for fraud. Neymar and his parents face commercial fraud charges.
The other defendants include two former Barcelona presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and former Santos boss Odilio Rodrigues Filho.
While Neymar was still under Santos, Brazilian investment group DIS acquired the rights to 40% of his transfer fee. The DIS filed the case in 2015, and investigators began looking into the actual amount of the transfer money that year.
Barcelona claimed the transfer fee of 57.1 million euros and said it paid 40 million euros to N&N and 17.1 million euros to Santos, of which 6.8 million euros went to DIS.
However, prosecutors believe the transfer money should be at least 83 million euros. DIS accuses Neymar, Barca and Santos of conspiracy and withholding the true amount.
Neymar’s lawyers have maintained his innocence, claiming the 40 million euros are “a normal legal signing bonus in the footballer transfer market”.
The appointed lawyer also believes that the Spanish judicial authorities have no jurisdiction over the case, because it involves a Brazilian citizen and the crime took place in Brazil.
Neymar scored the winning goal once morest Marseille at Saint-Germain yesterday before he appeared in court. He is expected to testify on the 21st or 28th, and it is unclear whether he will have to be there in person. The trial is scheduled to end on the 31st.
Neymar might face two years in prison and a fine of up to 10 million euros if found guilty.
Neymar is expected to represent Brazil at the Qatar World Cup, seeking Brazil’s first and sixth Champions League since 2002. He will lead Brazil in the opening match of Group G once morest Serbia on November 24.
Responsible editor: Yu Weining
