Madrid: Barcelona forward Neymar and his parents will stand trial over alleged corruption, making the Brazilian the latest football superstar to have to take the stand, a Spanish court ordered on Thursday.
The National Court also ordered Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his predecessor Sandro Rosell to be sent to trial over Neymar’s transfer from Santos in 2013. The case was initiated by a complaint from Brazilian investment company DIS, which owned 40 per cent of Neymar’s sporting rights at the time of his transfer. DIS received just 6.8 million euros — 40 per cent of the 17 million euros fee paid to Santos — with the company claiming it was cheated out of its real share because part of the transfer fee was concealed by Barcelona, Santos and the Neymar family. Spanish prosecutors have recommended that Neymar be handed a two-year jail sentence and fined 10 million euros.
