Prosecutors in Spain on Friday dropped corruption and fraud charges against soccer star Neymar and others accused in a trial over the Brazilian’s 2013 move from Santos to Barcelona.
In a dramatic move, prosecutors announced the “withdrawal of charges against all defendants and for all allegations” they faced.
Neymar, 30, had said he doesn’t remember if he took part in the negotiations that led to an agreement with Barcelona in 2011 over his transfer two years later from Brazilian club Santos to the Spanish side.
Spanish prosecutors had ordered Neymar, a key member of the Brazil team who will travel to the World Cup in Qatar next month, to be jailed for two years and paid a fine of 10 million euros ($9.7 million).
The dropping of the charges is the culmination of a years-long legal saga surrounding Neymar’s high-profile transfer to Europe.
He then joined Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 in a world-record €222m transfer.
Neymar was one of nine defendants charged with corruption, including his parents and their N&N company, which manages his affairs.
Even if he had been convicted, prison sentences of two years or less are never carried out in Spain for a first-time offender.
Investigators began investigating the transfer to Barcelona after a complaint was filed in 2015 by DIS, a Brazilian company that owned 40 percent of the player’s sports rights, while he was at Santos, the club where he rose to global prominence .
The firm claims that Neymar, Barcelona and the Brazilian club colluded to hide the true cost of his transfer and thereby defraud them of their legitimate financial interests.
Barca said the transfer was valued at €57.1m, with €40m paid to N&N and €17.1m to Santos, of which €6.8m went to DIS.
The Spanish public prosecutor assumes an actual value of at least 83 million euros.
DIS wants to reclaim 35 million euros.
– ‘I sign what I am told’ –
Neymar testified earlier this month, telling the court he had not done anything illegal and was only signing documents his father had given him.
“My father always did the contract negotiations,” he said. “I sign what he tells me.”
DIS also claim financial damage from the 2011 pre-contract with Barca, claiming it prevented other clubs from making bids and influenced the value of the transfer fee.
But the player’s father, Neymar Sr., told the court that the talks were then approved by the Brazilian club and that ‘it is Santos’ responsibility’ to inform DIS, not his.
Besides Neymar, his father and mother Nadine Goncalves, two former Barca presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and ex-Santos manager Odilio Rodrigues Filho are among the accused.
Neymar’s lawyers insist their client is innocent and say Barca’s €40m payment was a ‘legal signing bonus that’s normal in the football transfer market’.
Neymar is enjoying one of his best seasons since joining PSG and is expected to play a key role for Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar.
He has scored nine league goals and provided seven assists in 11 games.
He is expected to lead the Selecao into the World Cup’s Group G opener against Serbia on November 24, when the South American giants attempt to lift the trophy for the first time since 2002 and sixth time overall.
