LAST UPDATE | 17 Oct 2022
BRAZIL FORWARD NEYMAR arrived at a court in Barcelona this morning for the start of his trial for alleged irregularities in his transfer to Barcelona nearly a decade ago.
Wearing a black suit and sunglasses, the 30-year-old was accompanied by his parents, who are also in the dock on corruption-related charges over his 2013 transfer from the Brazilian club Santos.
With the World Cup barely a month away, Neymar is one of nine defendants on trial.
Investigators began probing the transfer after a 2015 complaint filed by DIS, a Brazilian company that owned 40 percent of the player’s sporting rights when he was at Santos.
Barcelona said the transfer cost €57.1 million, but prosecutors believe it was at least €83m.
The club said it paid €40m to N&N and €17.1m to Santos, of which €6.8m was given to DIS.
But DIS alleges that Neymar, Barcelona and the Brazilian club colluded to mask the true cost of the deal.
Among the other defendants are two former Barca presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and ex-Santos boss Odilio Rodrigues Filho.
Neymar, now with Paris Saint-Germain, is expected in court on the first day, although that has not been officially confirmed.
He will testify on either 21 October or 28 October, but it is not known if he will have to be physically present. The trial is due to end on 31 October.
If convicted, he could face two years in jail and a €10m fine.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will take the stand on Tuesday by videoconference to explain how a 2011 secret pre-contract deal between Barca and Neymar influenced the market.
“Neymar Junior, with the complicity of his parents and FC Barcelona and its directors at the time, and Santos FC at a later stage, defrauded DIS of its legitimate financial interests,” said DIS lawyer Paulo Nasser on Thursday.
Neymar’s lawyers insist their client is innocent, saying the €40m was a “legal signing bonus which is normal in the football transfer market”.
The footballer is having one of his best seasons since he joined PSG following a world record €222m transfer in 2017.
He scored the only goal in Sunday’s 1-0 victory over bitter rivals Marseille at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Neymar has nine goals and seven assists in 11 matches in Ligue 1.
But his relations with France international superstar Kylian Mbappe appear to be strained, with the 23-year-old reportedly demanding PSG sell the Brazilian.
Neymar is also expected to play a key role for Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar, as the South American giants seek to win the trophy for the first time since 2002, and the sixth in total.
He will lead the Selecao into their Group G opener against Serbia on 24 November.
