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Neymar at the Bernabéu (picture from March 2022)
Photo:
Manu Fernández / dpa
Barely a month before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, Brazilian soccer star Neymar has to take a seat in the dock in Spain.
The start of the oral hearing in a fraud case against the 30-year-old was scheduled for October 17 in the district court in Barcelona, Spanish media and the AFP news agency said on Wednesday, citing the Spanish judiciary.
The criminal proceedings are about alleged irregularities when the professional switched from FC Santos to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2013.
In addition to Neymar, who has been playing for Paris Saint-Germain in France since 2017, the pro's parents and two ex-Presidents of FC Barcelona are accused: Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell.
They are accused of corruption and fraud.
According to media reports, the public prosecutor is demanding a two-year imprisonment for Neymar in addition to a fine of ten million euros.
However, prison sentences of up to two years are almost always suspended in Spain for those who have no previous convictions.
The oral hearing is said to take place between October 17th and 31st.
Fund sees itself cheated
The opening of criminal proceedings had already been ordered by the Spanish judiciary in 2017.
It is about a lawsuit by the Brazilian investment fund DIS in connection with Neymar's move to Barcelona in the summer of 2013. DIS held a 40 percent stake in the player and feels cheated.
The fund claims that it only received 40 percent of the "official" transfer fee of 17.1 million euros.
According to the investigation, at least 83 million should have flowed for the change.
Barça originally put the transfer value at 57.1 million euros (40 million for Neymar's family, 17.1 for Santos), but later had to admit 83.3 million as the true figure.
The World Cup in Qatar starts on November 21st.
The Brazilian national team will play their first game against Serbia on November 24th.
Group G is completed by Switzerland and Cameroon.
ngo/AFP/dpa/sid
