BRAZIL SUPERSTAR NEYMAR says his father always handled his contracts as he took the stand at his trial in Spain over alleged irregularities in his transfer to Barcelona in 2013.

“My father has always been in charge” of contract negotiations, the 30-year-old told the Barcelona court hearing the case. “I sign what he tells me to.”

He also said he did not remember if he took part in the negotiations which led to an agreement sealed in 2011 with Barcelona over his transfer two years later to the Catalan side from Brazilian club Santos.

Spanish prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison term for Neymar, a key member of the Brazil team that will be heading to the World Cup in Qatar next month, and the payment of a €10million fine.

The trial is the culmination of a years-long legal saga over Neymar’s 2013 move from Santos to Barcelona.

He then joined Qatar-owned PSG in a world record €222m transfer in 2017.

Neymar is one of nine defendants on trial on corruption-related charges, among them his parents and their N&N company, which manages his affairs.

He had originally been set to testify on either 21 or 28 October but the Barcelona court hearing the case agreed to bring forward his hearing to avoid a clash with his commitments with PSG.

The player spent two hours at the court on Monday on the opening day of the trial before he was excused by the judge after his lawyers argued he needed to rest after playing Sunday night.

The player scored the only goal of the Ligue 1 match against Marseille.

Investigators began probing the transfer after a 2015 complaint filed by DIS, a Brazilian company that owned 40% of the player’s sporting rights when he was at Santos.

Barcelona said the transfer cost €57.1m, but prosecutors believe it was at least €83m.

The club said it paid €40m to N&N and €17.1m to Santos, of which €6.8m was given to DIS.

But DIS alleges that Neymar, Barcelona and the Brazilian club colluded to mask the true cost of the deal.

Among the other defendants are two former Barca presidents, Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, and ex-Santos boss Odilio Rodrigues Filho.

DIS is seeking to recover €35m.

The company’s lawyer Paulo Nasser said last week that Neymar had “with the complicity of his parents and FC Barcelona and its directors at the time, and Santos FC at a later stage, defrauded DIS of its legitimate financial interests.”

Neymar’s lawyers insist their client is innocent, saying the €40m was a “legal signing bonus which is normal in the football transfer market”.

They have said Spanish authorities lack jurisdiction to hear the case since the transfer involved Brazilian nationals in Brazil.

The trial is due to end on 31 October.

Neymar’s abrupt departure for PSG five years ago sparked a string of legal disputes, with Barcelona withholding its contract extension bonus and suing the player for breach of contract, as Neymar countersued.

Both sides eventually reached an “amicable” out-of-court settlement in 2021.

The footballer is having one of his best seasons since he joined PSG.

His goal against Marseille on Sunday was his ninth league goal of the season, and he has seven assists in 11 Ligue 1 matches.

Neymar is expected to play a key role for Brazil at the World Cup in Qatar, as the South American giants seek to win the trophy for the first time since 2002, and the sixth in total.

He will lead the Selecao into their Group G opener against Serbia on 24 November.

– © AFP 2022

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