Neymar and his legal woes are seemingly over – and it couldn’t come at a better time. The Brazil forward, and others accused of fraud and corruption over his 2013 transfer from Brazilian club Santos to Spanish team Barcelona can now move on with their lives after Spanish prosecutors dropped all charges brought against them.
“There is not the slightest hint of crime,” prosecutor Luis Garcia Canton said. He then proceeded to ask the judge for the acquittal of all defendants. The prosecution had originally sought prison terms and fines for both former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell and Neymar himself, over allegations they doctored the numbers behind the transfer to avoid paying a Brazilian investment firm, who owned 40% of the rights to Neymar, their cut.
Neymar commented on the news on Twitter, saying, “Believe in yourself and God will show you how strong you are,” in Portuguese.
The news is especially welcome for Neymar, who is set to represent Brazil in the World Cup, which starts in a little over three weeks. His team is one of the favorites to win the title. But it’s not over yet.
Neymar will get a chance to say his piece via video conference next Monday (October 31), on the trial’s last day. His team is expected to claim costs against the private prosecution for what they consider recklessness and “acting in poor faith and for abuse of process.”
But the good news for Brazilian fans is that the cloud of worry over Neymar has now been lifted, and the player can go back to focusing on the one thing Brazil really wants – another World Cup.
The FIFA 2022 Qatar World Cup will start on November 20th and run until December 18th.