Neymar sits on the bench for his signing for Barça

The Brazilian forward of Paris Saint-Germain Neymar da Silva Santos faces five years in prison in the trial that begins this Monday at the Provincial Court of Barcelona for his signing for Barça, made in 2013 from the Brazilian Santos and which was quantified at 82 million euros.

The first day of the oral hearing, which is scheduled to last until October 31, will begin with preliminary questions and witness statements, while the player’s questioning is scheduled for Friday October 21.

Among those appearing, the then vice president of FC Barcelona Javier Faus and the former sports director Andoni Zubizarreta will declare, while on Tuesday the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Pérez, will intervene by videoconference to clarify if he tested the signing of the footballer and with whom he negotiated.

Neymar is accused of alleged corruption in business between individuals and a crime of fraud for hiding part of the payments he received for his signing. The cause stems from a complaint by the Dis Group, owner of 40% of the player’s federative rights and who considers himself harmed for not having received the amount that corresponded to him for the millionaire transfer.

In addition to Neymar, his parents, who received part of the transfers from FC Barcelona, ​​and former presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, who was the club’s first vice president at the time, are accused.

The Dis fund also accuses Bartomeu because he assures that his signature was necessary for the transactions, although the Prosecutor’s Office has left him out of his provisional brief and asked to file the case for him because, although he participated in the signing of one of the contracts, he considers that there is no evidence that he knew that the transfer negotiation was being carried out behind the back of the fund and outside the FIFA regulations.

economic damage

The Prosecutor’s Office asks for two years in prison for Neymar and five years for Rosell, who was then president of the club, and demands a fine of 10 million euros for both, the same one that demands the player’s father.

For the representative of Santos, the prosecutor claims three years in prison for alleged fraud and also accuses FC Barcelona as a legal person, from whom he requests a fine of 8.4 million for alleged corruption in business and fraud, while for the club Brazilian amounts to seven million.

For its part, the Dis Group asks Neymar and his parents for five years in prison and a fine of 159 million, in addition to disqualifying them as sports representatives. For Rosell and Bartomeu, the plaintiff also claims five years in prison, six of disqualification as a manager and business administrator, and a fine of 195 million for the alleged damage caused plus interest.