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Neymar appears in court in trial over Barcelona transfer

Published:Monday | October 17, 2022 | 1:14 PM
Former FC Barcelona player Neymar, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain (centre), arrives at a court in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, October 17, 2022. Neymar returned to Spain Monday to face trial on fraud charges regarding his 2013 transfer from Santos to FC Barcelona. The Brazilian forward, his father, and the former executives of Barcelona and Santos are accused of hiding the true cost of his transfer with the alleged goal of cheating a private Brazilian company.(AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A few hours after scoring the winning goal in Paris Saint-Germain's victory over Marseille in the French league, Neymar arrived in court in Spain on Monday to face a trial for alleged irregularities involving his transfer to Barcelona in 2013.

Neymar's parents, former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Bartomeu, and representatives of the Spanish club and Brazilian team Santos also appeared in court after a complaint brought by Brazilian investment group DIS regarding the amount of the player's transfer.

The Brazil forward arrived at the court in Barcelona wearing sunglasses and a black suit and tie.

Neymar's mother and father, who also is his agent, were among those arriving alongside the player.

The defendants, who have denied wrongdoing, sat near each other to hear the opening arguments in the trial that comes nearly a month before the World Cup opens on November 20 in Qatar, and is expected to last until the end of the month.

Neymar left the Barcelona court about two hours after arriving, without talking to reporters.

The judge allowed him to leave early after having played the night before in France.

He scored his ninth league goal in first-half stoppage time for PSG to beat Marseille 1-0 in French soccer's biggest game.

Neymar and the rest of the defendants had to be in court for the first day of the trial. He is expected to testify on Tuesday.

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