Neymar avoids prison sentence

The Spanish Supreme Court rejected the appeal and upheld the acquittal ruling for Neymar and former Barcelona executives, who had been prosecuted for corruption and fraud allegations related to his transfer to Barcelona in 2013.

In the ruling released this week, the court emphasized that verified facts showed the allegations lacked basis, and affirmed that no corrupt or fraudulent acts existed from the player, his representatives, or the club. According to the court, the entire deal stemmed purely from Barcelona's professional decision to secure Neymar's signing and expedite the completion process.

In this case, the sole party pursuing the charges was the Brazilian company DIS, which held 40% of Neymar's economic rights while he played for Santos. Previously, in 2022, a Barcelona court also acquitted Neymar and former club executives regarding the charges of "corporate corruption" and "fraud through a sham contract".

Besides Neymar and his parents, others tried included two former Barcelona presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and a former Santos executive. Additionally, Barcelona, Santos, and the company founded by Neymar's family to manage his career were also listed as defendants.

The trial drew attention when the prosecutor, who initially sought a two-year prison sentence and a 10 million Euro fine for Neymar, unexpectedly dropped all charges against all defendants.

The lawsuit was initiated by DIS in 2015, alleging that Barcelona, Neymar, his family, and Santos conspired to conceal the true value of the deal to "defraud" them. The company also claimed they were not informed about an exclusive agreement signed in 2011 between Neymar and Barcelona, which they believed distorted the transfer market.

Initially, Barcelona announced a transfer fee of 57.1 million Euros, including 40 million Euros paid to Neymar and his family, and 17.1 million Euros to Santos. However, according to the Spanish court's findings, the actual amount was at least 83 million Euros. DIS, which received 6.8 million Euros from the payment to Santos, sought 35 million Euros in compensation.

This case is also referred to as "Neymar 2," distinguishing it from "Neymar 1," which involved tax fraud from the same transfer, ending in 2016 when Barcelona agreed to pay a 5.5 million Euro fine in a settlement with prosecutors.