Brazilian star Neymar confirmed on Tuesday that he always signed what his father asked for during his trial in Barcelona over alleged wrongdoing in connection with his move from Santos to Barcelona in 2013.
“My father was always interested in contract negotiations,” the current Paris Saint-Germain striker told the court. “He was always in charge. I sign what he tells me.”
He also confirmed that he “doesn’t remember” whether he was involved in negotiations on a 2011 deal with Barcelona for his future move, a major issue at trial.
The hearing was scheduled for 21 or 28 October, but it was held at the request of Neymar’s lawyer due to his football associations with Saint-Germain in the French League next Friday and the Champions League next Tuesday.
The 30-year-old will not need to return to Barcelona to participate in procedures in the coming days. He will be able to speak, if he wishes, for the last time at the end of the trial, scheduled for the 31st of this month, via video link.
Prosecutors charged Neymar with corruption, demanding a two-year prison term and a fine of 10 million euros.
The other eight accused include members of Neymar’s family, in addition to former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosella, who prosecutors have requested a five-year prison sentence, and Josep Maria Bartomeu, as well as former Santos director Odilio Rodríguez Filho.
The case was brought following a complaint filed in 2015 by the Brazilian group DIS, which owned part of the rights to Neymar, after they considered themselves injured in the process of Neymar’s transfer to the Catalan club.
The Panel believes that the striker’s transfer deal was violated. Barcelona announced the start of a payment of 57.1 million euros (40 million to the player’s family and 17.1 million to his former club Santos) in exchange for his services, but according to the calculations of the Spanish judiciary, the deal was worth at least 83 million Euro. million euros.
DIS, which received 6.8 million euros out of 17.1 officially paid to the Brazilian club, claims that Barcelona, Neymar and then Santos agreed to hide the true amount of the transaction.
The group is seeking damages in the amount of 35 million euros, which is the amount it believes it lost in this case.
The player’s lawyers have confirmed that Neymar, who moved in 2017 from Barcelona to Saint-Germain in a deal worth 222 million euros and made him the most expensive player in the world, did not commit any wrongdoing. The €40 million he received in this deal is in line with what they say is “a legal transfer bonus accepted in the football market”.
Source: AFP.