Brazilian superstar Neymar is facing a possible prison sentence in a case related to his move to Barcelona in 2013. Investment firm DIS claims they are owed money because the player’s full value was not reached in the transfer. The trial begins next month.
DIS owned 40% of Neymar’s rights when he left Brazil’s Santos for Barça.
One of the most prized young players on the planet, the Spanish club bought Neymar for a fee of around 57 million euros, as reported by Reuters. According to Barça, the player’s family received 40 million euros and DIS and Santos shared the remaining 17 million (40/60 respectively).
However, the DIS complain that other clubs offered more money for Neymar. “Neymar’s rights have not been sold to the highest bidder,” DIS lawyer Paulo Nasser told a news conference on Thursday. “There were clubs that offered up to 60 million euros.”
Along with the player, former Barça presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues, as well as Neymar’s parents, are listed as defendants in the trial.
Neymar faces a jail sentence in Spain
If convicted, Neymar would face two years in prison and a $9.7 million fine. Prosecutors are apparently seeking a five-year prison sentence and an $8.1 million fine for the former Barca officials.
Neymar’s law firm, Baker McKenzie, told Reuters they will respond. The firm believes that the Spanish authorities “lack jurisdiction” to prosecute the Neymar family. This is due to the fact that the transfer occurred in Brazil and involved Brazilians.
There is also concern about the prosecution. There is a debate about whether the player can choose the club he transfers to, regardless of the money. “The rules of free competition do not operate as the transfer from one club to another depends on the free will of the player,” a spokesman for Baker McKenzie told Reuters.
“The player is not a service or a commodity. He is a person by his own will.”
Neymar will have to be in court on Monday. It remains to be seen if the PSG player should stay for the entire trial.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire
