Neymar fronts court and is facing two-year jail sentence over transfer to Barcelona
Brazilian star Neymar has gone on trial in Spain after being charged with alleged fraud and corruption over his transfer to Barcelona from Santos in 2013.
The 30-year-old arrived at the Provincial Court of Barcelona with his parents wearing sunglasses and a dark suit.
The player had been set to testify on October 21 or 28 but the judge agreed to bring forward his hearing to avoid a clash with footballing commitments, according to Fox Sports.
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And with the World Cup just over a month away he’ll be hoping proceedings wrap up swiftly.
Spanish prosecutors are seeking a two-year jail term for the PSG player as well as the payment of an AU$15.6 million (£8.7m) fine.
The subject of the trial is the Brazilian’s transfer to Barcelona almost a decade ago in 2013.
He is one of the nine defendants on trial for corruption-related charges.
Among the others are his parents and their N&N company which manages Neymar’s affairs.
The transfer has been subject to investigation since 2016 after a Brazilian company called DIS filed a complaint.
Like many South American players, 40 per cent of Neymar’s sporting rights were owned by DIS at the time of the transfer.
The company alleges that Neymar, Barcelona, and Santos colluded to mask the actual cost of the deal.
Barcelona claimed the transfer cost AU$89.3 million (£49.5m), however, prosecutors claim it cost at least AU$129.8 million (£71.9m).
The Spanish giants say they paid AU$62.5 million (£34.6m) to N&N and AU$26.7 million (£14.8m) to Santos, of which AU$10.6 million (£5.9m) was paid to DIS.
A sum that DIS discredits.
DIS is seeking to recover AU$54.7 million (£30.3m)
Other defendants include two former Barcelona presidents in Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez will take to the stand through videoconference to voice his opinion on how a 2011 secret pre-contract deal between Barcelona and Neymar influenced the transfer market.
The trial is due to end on October 31.
Topics: Football, Neymar, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Santos
Jayden Collins