Brazil forward Neymar will stand trial next week on fraud and corruption charges over his transfer to Barcelona from Santos in 2013 and the complainant, Brazilian investment firm DIS, said on Thursday it was demanding a five-year jail term.
Along with Neymar, the defendants in the trial brought by Spanish prosecutors, which begins in Barcelona on Monday, are his parents, the two clubs, former Barca presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues.
The case stems from a complaint by DIS, a Brazilian company that owned 40% of the rights to Neymar when he was at Santos. It argues it lost out on its rightful cut from the transfer because the deal’s actual value was understated.
Neymar has denied the allegations but lost an appeal in Spain’s High Court in 2017, which paved the way for the trial. Reuters has contacted representatives of Neymar and his parents for comment. Rosell has also previously denied any wrongdoing. His representatives did not respond to a request for comment.