BARCELONA – Brazil superstar Neymar was expected to take the stand for the first time today at his trial in Spain over alleged irregularities in his transfer to Barcelona nearly a decade ago.
The 30-year-old had been set to testify on either Friday or October 28 but the Barcelona court hearing the case agreed to bring forward his hearing to avoid a clash with his commitments with his current side Paris Saint-Germain.
Spanish prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison term for Neymar, a key member of the Brazil team that will be heading to the World Cup in Qatar next month, and the payment of a €10 million (RM46.3 million) fine.
As he opened today’s hearing, judge Jose Manuel del Amo said Neymar would take the stand after a Barcelona official and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
Neymar, who wore a black suit, spent two hours at the court yesterday on the opening day of the trial before he was excused by the judge after his lawyers argued he needed to rest after playing Sunday night.
The player scored the only goal of the Ligue 1 match against Marseille.
“Da Silva Santos Junior scored a goal when I was already in bed,” the judge said.
The high-profile trial is the culmination of a years-long legal saga over Neymar’s 2013 transfer from the Brazilian club Santos to Barcelona.
He then joined Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain in a world record €222 million transfer in 2017.
Neymar is one of nine defendants on trial on corruption-related charges, among them his parents and their N&N company, which manages his affairs.
‘Legal signing bonus’
Investigators began probing into the transfer after a 2015 complaint filed by DIS, a Brazilian company that owned 40% 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 €83 million.
The club said it paid €40 million to N&N and €17.1 million to Santos, of which €6.8 million 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 Barcelona presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and ex-Santos boss Odilio Rodrigues Filho.
Real Madrid president Perez will be heard by the court by videoconference to give his opinion of 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.
DIS is seeking to recover €35 million.
Neymar’s lawyers insist their client is innocent, saying the €40 million was a “legal signing bonus which is normal in the football transfer market”.
They have said Spanish authorities lack jurisdiction to hear the case since the transfer involved Brazilian nationals in Brazil.
The trial is due to end on October 31.
Best seasons
Neymar’s abrupt departure for PSG five years ago sparked a string of legal disputes, with Barcelona withholding its contract extension bonus and suing the player for breach of contract, as Neymar countersued.
Both sides eventually reached an “amicable” out-of-court settlement in 2021.
The footballer is having one of his best seasons since he joined PSG.
His goal against Marseille on Sunday was his ninth league goal of the season, and he has seven assists in 11 Ligue 1 matches.
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 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 November 24. – AFP, October 18, 2022
