Neymar claimed he couldn’t recall whether or not he participated in the contract negotiations. AFP
Despite the bombshell dropped by the prosecution on Friday, the case has not collapsed because a complaint brought by the Brazilian sports investment business DIS, which claims it was duped during this transfer, is also being taken into consideration by the Barcelona court. The trial is the conclusion of a protracted legal battle involving Neymar’s 2013 transfer from Brazilian club Santos. Neymar is one of nine defendants facing corruption-related charges, including his parents and their N&N company, which is in charge of managing his business.
Following a 2015 complaint from DIS, which at the time of the player’s transfer to Santos owned 40% of his sports rights, investigators started looking into the trade. It asserts that Neymar, Barcelona, and the Brazilian club conspired to conceal the real cost of his move, depriving it of its rightful financial interests. Before the day is over, everyone of the defendants—including Neymar and his parents—will have the opportunity to address the court by videoconference.
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The 30-year-old, who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain and will represent Brazil in the World Cup in Qatar in three weeks, had faced a two-year prison sentence and a fine of 10 million euros from Spanish authorities.
The state prosecutor, however, announced on Friday that all criminal charges against the defendants were being dropped because there was insufficient proof that a crime had been committed. After agreeing with the Brazilian sports investment group DIS’s claims that it had been duped during this transfer, prosecutors moved on with the case.
Later, they said the accusations were only “assumptions” and that civil justice should be used to resolve the situation rather than criminal law. Even though the trial phase is coming to an end on Monday, the court’s ultimate decision is not anticipated for some weeks.
Furious by prosecution’s U-turn
In 2015, DIS filed a complaint in Spain alleging fraud and requesting the recovery of 35 million euros against Neymar, Barcelona, and Santos. Barca reported that the deal cost 57.1 million euros, of which 6.8 million euros went to DIS and 40 million euros went to Neymar’s parents’ business, N&N. At first, Spanish prosecutors claimed they thought the real value was at least 83 million euros.
After Friday’s shocking revelation, DIS vehemently disagreed with the prosecution’s assertion that no crime had been committed. Its attorney Eliseo Martinez said, “We cannot concur with it. This trial would not have begun if such were the case.
The firm has considerably softened its stance, asking that the football player receive only two and a half years in prison rather than five if found guilty. According to sources close to his legal team, Neymar’s attorneys will request that the court order DIS to cover all legal fees on the grounds that the company acted “recklessly” and “in bad faith.”
On the second day of the trial, which got under way on October 17, Neymar claimed he couldn’t recall if he had participated in the negotiations for the transfer of his team and that all the paperwork he had signed had been given to him by his father. All of the other suspects, including former Barça presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, are innocent of all charges.