OVIEDO, Spain
Brazilian football player Neymar da Silva Santos Junior arrived at a Barcelona court on Monday morning, where he will stand trial on corruption and fraud charges over his transfer to FC Barcelona nearly a decade ago.
Just a month before the World Cup in Qatar kicks off, Spanish prosecutors are trying to get Neymar to be imprisoned for up to two years and pay a €10 million ($9.7 million) fine.
In the court, the Brazilian forward is joined by his parents, two ex-presidents of FC Barcelona — Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu — and an ex-leader of the Brazilian team Santos, who also face charges surrounding the transfer.
Even FC Barcelona itself is on trial, as prosecutors argue the team should pay a fine of €8.4 million ($8.2 million) for breaking laws.
The alleged corruption dates back to the 2013 transfer of Neymar from FC Santos in Brazil to FC Barcelona in Spain.
Both Spanish prosecutors and the Brazilian company DIS, which owned 40% of the rights to Neymar at the time, argue that there was collusion between FC Barcelona, FC Santos and Neymar to cover up the true amount that the Spanish club paid for the player.
The obfuscation allegedly involved Neymar signing a €40 million contract with FC Barcelona in 2011 before he was on the free market.
According to DIS, the scheme broke FIFA rules and meant the player and those who owned his rights were not able to get the best deal on the free market.
DIS lawyers say Neymar should receive a five-year prison sentence and be barred from playing football during the same time period.
Neymar’s lawyers, however, argue their client is innocent and the pre-contract bonus was legal and standard practice. They also claim the case falls outside Spanish jurisdiction and does not violate Brazilian laws.
Local media reported that Neymar may testify later Monday or on Tuesday.
Other famous figures are also set to provide testimony, including Real Madrid President Florentino Perez, to discuss how Neymar’s pre-contract deal with FC Barcelona influenced the market.
