The striker of Paris Saint Germain, Neymar da Silva, finally declared this Tuesday before the Audience of Barcelona, that judges the footballer, his parents and the former presidents of FC Barcelona Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, for alleged irregularities in the transfer of the Brazilian international to the Barça club in 2013.
Neymar, who only answered the questions of the prosecutor and his lawyers, thanked the president of the Sixth Section that judges the case, José Manuel del Amo, for allowing him to be absent from the first session.
And it is that the player flew to Barcelona after winning the French League classic, played on Sunday night, with his goal against Olympique de Marseille (1-0).
“I thank you, because the truth is that I was very tired,” he told the magistrate, who has defended the favorable treatment he has received as a defendant despite the fact that “he will surely earn in one day what the rest of the defendants must earn in one year”.
Of the Amo, confessed soccer fan, has dispensed Neymar to attend all the sessions of the trial and advanced his statement “so that he can play against Ajaccio next Friday, next week’s Champions League match against Macabbi Haifa (October 25) and against Troyés, on the 29th”. In short, “so that he can do his job, which is none other than playing football”.
In addition, the Brazilian soccer player, for whom the Public Prosecutor is requesting 2 years in prison and a 10 million fine for a crime of corruption in business, will be able to exercise the turn of the last word by videoconference on October 31, the last day of the trial. .
In a long-awaited brief court appearance, Neymar Jr. He assured that he “never” participated in the negotiations of his signing, but that everything is carried out by his father and representative, Neymar da Silva, who declared below.
The father of the Brazilian star is an administrator, 50% with his wife, Nadine Gonçalves, from company N & N Sports Consultingthe family company that represents Neymar and that received 60 million from Barcelona for various reasons.
The Barça club also paid Santos another 25 million: 17.1 for the transfer and 7.9 for the preferential option that it never exercised over three young promises of the Brazilian team.
However, the DIS fund, which exercises the private prosecution, only received 6.8 million from the entire operation, despite having 40% of the striker’s transfer rights.
“In November 2011 we signed a priority agreement with Barcelona to incorporate Neymar in 2014, who could already sign as a free agent,” explained his father, who, like his son, only answered questions from the prosecution and his lawyers. .
In this sense, Neymar da Silva stressed that he had a letter signed by the president of Santos, Odilio Rodrigues, who is also accused in the case, to be able to negotiate with Barça.
Asked why he did not inform DIS of these negotiations, as holder of 40% of the soccer player’s federative rights, Neymar’s father was clear: “Informing DIS is the responsibility of Santos; It is not mine”.
His, as he stressed, was “to get the best possible contract” for his son, who “since he was a child wanted to play for Barcelona”, despite the interest of the eternal rival: “Real Madrid has made offers to Neymar since 2009”.
In any caseNeymar da Silva, for which the prosecutor asks for 2 years in prison for a crime of corruption in business – the same sentence as his son – exonerated his wife, for whom the public ministry requests a sentence of one year in prison for the same crime, of any responsibility of the management in the signing. “At N & N, she was in charge of the representation part and I was in charge of the administration”, she summed up.
In the case known as ‘Neymar 2’, the Public Prosecutor also requests 5 years in prison and a 10 million euro fine for the former president of FC Barcelona Sandro Rosell for the crimes of corruption in business and fraud and 3 years in prison for the crime of fraud for the former president of Santos, Odilio Rodrigues.
However, he asks for the acquittal of the former president of the Barça entity, Josep Maria Bartomeu, vice-president when the events occurred, understanding that despite signing the allegedly fraudulent contracts to sign the Santos striker, between 2011 and 2013, he was not an active part of the negotiations.
Three legal entities are also being tried for their participation in the case: FC Barcelona, Santos FC and N & N Consultoría Esportiva, for which the prosecution is requesting fines of 8, 4, 7 and 1.44 million euros , respectively.
