Brazil soccer star Neymar Jr. advised a court docket on Tuesday that he didn’t take part in talks over his switch from Santos to “childhood dream” membership Barcelona in 2013, however signed what his father advised him Were.
Along with Neymar, 30, eight different defendants are on trial on expenses of fraud and corruption over the switch, together with his mother and father, representatives of the 2 golf equipment, former Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rossel and former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues. .
All defendants have denied any wrongdoing.
“I didn’t participate in the negotiations. My father always took care of it and always will. I sign everything he asks me to sign,” Neymar mentioned in his first testimony on the trial that started on Monday Told the court docket in Barcelona.
“It was always my dream to play for Barcelona, my childhood dream.”
The case focuses on an allegation by Brazilian funding agency DIS, which had 40% of the rights to Neymar whereas he was in Santos, Brazil, that it misplaced out on its proper deduction from the switch as a result of the deal underestimated the worth of the deal. went.
Spanish prosecutors are searching for a two-year jail time period and a wonderful of 10 million euros ($9.8 million) for Neymar. They are additionally demanding 5 years in jail for Rossel and a €8.4 million wonderful for Barcelona.
A court docket doc launched in July alleges that Barcelona started negotiations with the participant in 2011, paying him 40 million euros to make sure his transfer when his contract with Santos expired in 2014, and so forth. Clubs have been barred from signing him.
“Our intention was to work out a career plan for him in Europe that we were already established in, learn the language, etc. And knowing his dream of playing for Barcelona, we signed that priority agreement with him ,” the participant’s father Neymar da Silva Santos advised the court docket.
None of the defendants, who’re representatives of the golf equipment or ex-persons, have but given their proof. Neymar and his mother and father had the proper to not testify, however they determined to take action, answering questions solely from the prosecutor and their very own ranges.
Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, who appeared as a witness through video hyperlink, advised the court docket that his membership had supplied €45 million in 2011 and €36 million in 2013 to signal Neymar, however the participant refused it. Opted to hitch Barcelona as an alternative.
Law agency Baker McKenzie, which is defending Neymar, who joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, and his household, has mentioned in an announcement that it’ll argue that Spanish courts lack jurisdiction as a result of the switch has taken place in Brazil. A Brazilian citizen was concerned.
Neymar’s attorneys say the foundations of competitors pertain to services and don’t apply to the switch market.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
