Star Brazilian left winger Neymar is on the receiving end of trouble just ahead of the World Cup next month in Qatar. An investment firm in Brazil has requested a five-year prison sentence for the footballer on the alleged charges of fraud and corruption nine years back in 2013 when he was transferred to Barcelona.
The firm claimed they owed the amount on the Brazilian international more than they received. It was because they had some partial rights to the 30-year-old at the time. DIS had 40% rights when Neymar was associated with Santos and the company went on to say that they lost a deserved cut from the transfer because the deal’s actual value was understated as per the norms of the transfer.
His parents, former club Barcelona and former presidents Josep Maria Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell are defendants in the case alongside Neymar. The list of defendants also includes the names of Santos and former president Odilio Rodrigues.
Notably, Neymar is supposed to be with the national side of Brazil during the FIFA World Cup 2022 scheduled to be played in Qatar next month. Subsequently, he has denied the allegations against him but also lost an appeal earlier in 2017 in Spain’s High Court which resulted in a way ahead for the trial.
Baker McKenzie will be defending PSG left winger and his family during the trial. He had a talk with the news agency Reuters regarding the issue. McKenzie said that they will go ahead with their argument that, they “lack jurisdiction to prosecute the Neymar family” as the transfer of the Cruzes-based star.
“The rules of free competition do not operate since the transfer from one club to another depends on the free will of the player,” said the spokesman of Baker McKenzie.