Neymar Ordered To Appear In Court Over Fraud In Barcelona Transfer
FC Barcelona forward Neymar has been ordered to appear in a Spanish national court next month over alleged irregularities involving his transfer from Santos to Barça.
The 23-year old will appear in court alongside his father, who served as his representative, former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, who resigned following the allegations and current president Josep Bartomeu.
Santos’ former presidents, Luis Alvaro de Oliveira and Odilio Rodriguez Filho, also have been asked to appear in court, as well as club representatives of both Barcelona and Santos.
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The case was brought against Neymar after Brazilian investment fund DIS alleged that they failed to receive the 40% cut of the transfer fee which took the 23-year-old from Santos to the La Liga Champions.
A previous court investigation revealed Barca paid €83 million for Neymar – the club had initially announced it as much less – but DIS only received 40 percent of €17 million fee Santos were originally understood to have received.
The complaint names Neymar, his father, Rosell, Bartomeu and Barcelona as defendants. All parties have denied any wrongdoing.
The court analyzed the complaint and said there were indications of illegal acts by some of the involved parties in an attempt to disguise the total amount that was paid to the Brazilian club.
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FIFA recently said it was also analyzing a complaint related to the transfer. Santos claimed that Neymar and his father broke the terms of the player’s contract by starting negotiations with Barcelona without the Brazilian club’s consent.
Neymar is currently in talks with the club over a new deal, but Neymar Sr. (his father) says he needs “judicial security” before committing to a new deal.
