Neymar back in court for hiding Barca transfer fee. Accusers seek 5 years in prison

By Andrew Warshaw

October 14 - Just weeks before his World Cup departure, Brazilian ace Neymar is on trial next week for fraud and corruption following his move to Barcelona from Santos in 2013.

In one of the most high-profile court cases ever involving a soccer superstar, the plaintiff, Brazilian investment firm DIS, said it was seeking a five-year prison sentence for the Paris striker St Germain.

DIS alleges he was entitled to 40% of Neymar's transfer fee, but received much less. The company claims that Barca and Neymar joined forces to hide the real transfer amount.

Neymar's career has been littered with legal battles off the pitch. A year ago, Barcelona reached an out-of-court settlement with the Brazilian over his €222m move to Paris St-Germain in 2017.

The case concerned what Neymar claimed were unpaid bonuses due under a contract he signed in October 2016, before the then world record transfer. Neymar sued the Catalan club for 46.3 million euros, and they filed a countersuit for breach of contract.

The legal row lasted for many years with a Barcelona judge finally sided with the club and ordered the Brazilian to pay 6.7 million euros.

Now he risks being exposed again in a potentially even more serious case that has finally come to trial after a long saga.

Neymar is due to make an appearance in Barcelona on Monday but it's unclear whether he should attend after the first day of a trial that could last a fortnight.

Barca said at the time of Neymar's transfer from Santos that the transfer fee was €57.1m, of which €40m was paid to Neymar's family.

DIS received 40% of the remaining €17.1 million paid to Santos. The firm claims to have lost a fair share of the fee because Neymar was sold below value.

"Neymar's rights have not been sold to the highest bidder," said DIS lawyer Paulo Nasser at a press conference in Barcelona on Thursday. "There were clubs that offered up to 60 million euros."

Along with Neymar, the defendants in the lawsuit brought by Spanish prosecutors are his parents, the two clubs involved, former Barca presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues.

>

In a statement, Baker McKenzie, who will defend Neymar and his family in the trial, told Reuters they would argue that Spanish courts 'have no jurisdiction to prosecute the Neymar family' since the transfer involved nationals Brazilians in Brazil. They also point out that the alleged crimes are not punishable in Brazil.

"The rules of free competition do not apply since the transfer from one club to another depends on the free will of the player which is neither a service nor a commodity."

While the DIS is asking for a five-year prison sentence, Spanish prosecutors are demanding two years and the payment of 10 million euros. But they are asking for a five-year prison sentence for Rosell, who has denied any wrongdoing, and an 8.4 million euro fine for Barcelona.

Contact the author of this story at moc.l1665809385labto1665809385ofdlr1665809385owedi1665809385sni@w1665809385ahsra1665809385w.wer1665809385dna1665809385