Written by Fernando Kallas
Barcelona – Brazilian soccer sensation Neymar Jr. and eight others were charged with fraud and corruption in connection with the player’s transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013.
According to a Reuters witness, Neymar and his father arrived in Spain early Monday morning and hopped in a van towards downtown Barcelona after the football player took the time to sign an autograph for a fan at the city’s airport.
Prosecutors in Spain are seeking a two-year prison sentence and a punishment of 10 million euros ($9.8 million) for Neymar. They are also requesting a five-year prison sentence for former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, as well as an 8.4 million euro punishment for the club.
The dispute revolves around the argument made by Brazilian investment group DIS, which owned 40% of Neymar’s rights when he was at Santos, that it was cheated out of its proper cut from the player’s sale since the deal’s worth was overstated.
DIS has sought a more harsher five-year prison sentence for Neymar, as well as fines totaling 149 million euros and the player’s suspension from playing for the duration of any punishment imposed by the judge.
Along with Neymar, 30, who is set to appear in court on Monday, the defendants include his parents, club representatives, former Barcelona presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Rosell, and former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues.
The court has ordered that everyone appear on Monday at 10:00 a.m. (0800 GMT).
“Neymar abused my clients’ confidence with the complicity of his parents and the boards of directors of Barcelona and Santos,” DIS lawyer Paulo Nasser said during a news conference in Barcelona on Thursday.
“The true cost of the transaction (between Santos and Barcelona) was 82 million euros, but only 17 million were reported as the official transfer,” Nasser stated.
He also stated that Neymar was not sold to the highest bidder, while other teams offered up to 60 million euros for his services.
All of the accused have already denied any wrongdoing.
Baker McKenzie, the law firm defending Neymar and his family, stated in a statement that the Spanish courts “without authority to pursue the Neymar family” because the transfer involved a Brazilian person in Brazil.
Neymar, a key component of Brazil’s World Cup team that will compete in Qatar next month, lost an appeal over the matter in Spain’s High Court in 2017, paving the way for the trial.
It was unclear whether Neymar will be required to attend the entire hearing, which is slated to last seven days.
Neymar was instrumental in PSG’s triumph over archrival Olympique de Marseille on Sunday evening, scoring the game’s only goal. The squad will play Ajaccio in Ligue 1 on Friday before visiting Maccabi Haifa in a Champions League match on Oct. 25.
On Monday afternoon, the court will hear from André Cury, Barcelona’s former point man in Brazil, whose statement and specifics on the player discussions are expected to be crucial in the case. (Fernando Kallas, Marco Trujillo, Nacho Doce, and Inti Landauro contributed reporting, while Hugh Lawson and Toby Chopra edited the piece.)