July 28 – Nine years after he moved from Brazil to Barcelona, Neymar is to finally go on what is certainly to be a high-profile and eagerly followed trial in October in Spain in a long-standing case surrounding his transfer from Santos.
In a legal saga that has dragged on for years, the Brazilian international, now with Paris Saint-Germain, is accused of fraud and corruption and the trial has been slated for two weeks from October 17, ominously close to the World Cup in Qatar.
Two former presidents of Barcelona, Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, as well as Neymar’s parents, face the same allegations, according to Spanish reports. All those involved in the case have long denied any wrongdoing.
The case stems from a complaint by Brazilian investment group DIS, which owned part of Neymar’s transfer rights and alleges that it was entitled to 40% of Neymar’s 2013 transfer fee but that it received far less. DIS has alleged that Barca and Neymar joined forces to hide the real amount of the transfer.
Neymar’s career has been fraught with legal cases off the field.
A year ago, Barcelona reached an out-of-court settlement with the Brazilian surrounding his €222 million move to Paris St-Germain in 2017.
The case related to what Neymar claimed were unpaid bonuses due as part of a contract he signed in October 2016, before the then world record transfer.. Neymar sued the Catalan club for €46.3 million, and they counter-sued for breach of contract.
The legal wrangling dragged on for many years with a judge in Barcelona finally siding with the club and ordering the Brazilian to pay €6.7 million.
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