Neymar faces court over contract claims
WITH the World Cup barely a month away, Brazilian superstar Neymar has gone on trial in Spain over alleged irregularities in his transfer to Barcelona nearly a decade ago.
Wearing sunglasses and a dark suit, the 30-year-old waved to the press as he arrived at the Provincial Court of Barcelona with his parents, who are also in the dock.
Neymar had been set to testify on either October 21 or 28 but the judge agreed to bring forward his hearing to avoid a clash with his football commitments.
Spanish prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison term for Neymar and a fine.
The high-profile trial is the culmination of a years-long legal saga over his 2013 transfer from the Brazilian club Santos to Barcelona.
He then joined Qatarowned French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Neymar spent two hours at the court before he was excused by the judge for the rest of the day’s hearing after his lawyers argued he needed to rest.
The player scored the winning goal against Marseille in a Ligue 1 match on Sunday night. He is one of nine defendants on trial on corruption-related charges, among them his parents and their N&N company, which manages his affairs.
Investigators began probing the transfer after a 2015 complaint filed by DIS, a Brazilian company that owned 40 per cent of the player’s sporting rights when he was at Santos.
DIS alleges that Neymar, Barcelona and the Brazilian club colluded to mask the true cost of the deal.
Other defendants include former Barca presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and ex-Santos boss Odilio Rodrigues Filho.