Neymar, Barcelona to stand trial for fraud

Neymar, Barcelona star, will stand trial on fraud and corruption charges over his transfer to Barcelona four years ago.

The Brazilian on Monday lost his bid to avoid trial.

Barcelona, Santos, N&N, the company run by his parents and Nadine Neymar, his mother, also lost their appeals.

They will stand trial with the striker.

DIS, a Brazilian investment group, had alleged that it received a smaller compensation from Neymar’s £48.6m transfer from Santos to Barcelona in 2013, claiming that part of the fee was concealed by the parties involved.

Investigations were carried out in Spain and Brazil to determine whether any part of Neymar’s transfer fee had been concealed.

“Santos FC, Barcelona FC, Neymar, his mother Nadine Goncalves and N&N, the family company, have lost their appeals to have charges of fraud and corruption dropped,” Spain’s high court said in a statement.

All the parties cannot appeal against the court’s decision.

Prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison sentence and a fine of nearly $10 million (£8 million) for Neymar and his father on corruption charges.

As first time offenders, they are not likely to face any jail time if found guilty.

Prosecutors are also seeking a fine of about $9 million (£7.2 million) from Barcelona and $7 million (£5.6 million) from Santos.