FC Barcelona and its former superstar Neymar have been charged, and according to a report, the football professional is even threatened with imprisonment. A fund feels betrayed by the multi-million euro move from the Brazilian to the top Spanish club.
Brazil’s football star Neymar must appear in person before the district court in Barcelona in the trial against him that begins on Monday, according to a report in the French newspaper “Le Parisien”. The criminal proceedings are about alleged irregularities in the professional’s move from FC Santos to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2013. Neymar, for whom his club Paris Saint-Germain is due to play against Olympique Marseille on Sunday evening (8:45 p.m.), has already rejected the allegations . The oral hearing is scheduled to take place by October 31. The case has been in the judiciary since 2014.
In addition to a two-year prison sentence, the Barcelona public prosecutor’s office is also demanding a fine of ten million euros. However, prison sentences of up to two years are almost always suspended in Spain for those who have no previous convictions. In addition to Neymar (30), who has been playing for the French champions since 2017, the pro’s parents and two ex-presidents of FC Barcelona are accused: Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell. Bartomeu is scheduled to testify on October 21. According to the report, Rosell could face up to five years in prison.
The opening of criminal proceedings was ordered by the Spanish judiciary in 2017 after Neymar and FC Barcelona failed with an appeal. It is about a lawsuit by the Brazilian investment fund DIS in connection with Neymar’s move to Barcelona in the summer of 2013. At that time, Neymar, who is considered one of the greatest talents in world football, switched to the Catalans for a reported 57.1 million euros. According to the top Spanish club, 40 million euros went to Neymar and his family and 17.1 million euros to FC Santos.
DIS held a 40 percent stake in Neymar and feels cheated. The fund claims it only received 40 percent of the official transfer fee of 17.1 million euros. According to the investigations of the Spanish authorities, at least 83 million euros are said to have flowed for the change. According to a report in the newspaper “El Mundo” at the time, Barcelona even spent 95 million euros. There is a suspicion that the Catalans deliberately underestimated the transfer to save costs. In addition, Neymar’s father admitted in 2014 that he had received a secret payment of ten million euros from Barcelona in November 2011. In 2017, Neymar then moved to Paris from FC Barcelona for the record sum of 222 million euros.
