Neymar da Silva, a striker for Paris Saint-Germain, has been charged with fraud and corruption in connection with his 2013 transfer from Santos FC to FC Barcelona, and Section 6 of the Barcelona Court has agreed that he will no longer be present during the trial, which started this Monday.
The footballer’s attorney, Mara Massó, requested the court during the processing of preliminary questions that Neymar and his parents, who are also accused, not remain in the room. She claimed that because Neymar had to submit to a doping test after playing against Marseille on Sunday, he and his parents “had to travel to Barcelona at dawn” to attend the trial on Monday morning.
It is well known that Mr. Da Silva Santos Junior was scoring a goal and I was already in bed, said the magistrate, who explained that he listened to the match on the radio when he was already in bed. The court’s president, José Manuel del Amo, has been in favor of exempting them from having to continue in the trial, and the other parties have not objected.
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The player’s father, who was also permitted to go, first chose to stay but eventually departed during a break as Neymar and his mother, Nadine Gonçalves, did.
Neymar’s defense also requested that his Friday interrogation be completed “as soon as possible” so that he can practice and participate in the games he has coming up. The court has agreed to do so on Tuesday in the morning.
The court will decide this afternoon whether to accept his resignation so that he can use the remaining speaking time or allow him to do so through videoconference in order to avoid having to travel back to Barcelona.
In this trial, Neymar is implicated along with the former Blaugrana presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, the player’s parents, Santos FC representative Odilio Rodrigues, and the two clubs individually. A five-year prison sentence is being sought for Neymar.