Neymar will have to stand trial after he lost an appeal against corruption charges relating to his transfer from Santos to Barcelona, a criminal court in Spain has ruled.
The Brazilian’s move to the Spanish Liga has brought immense controversy to the club due to uncertainty surrounding how much the club paid for him, with Neymar, his father, former president Sandro Rosell and current chief Josep Maria Bartomeu all implicated in the charges.
Barcelona, Brazilian club Santos and the company run by his parents also lost their appeals and will stand trial after a complaint brought by a Brazilian investment group which alleged it received a smaller compensation because part of the transfer fee was concealed by those involved.
Prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison sentence and a fine of nearly 10 million US dollars (£8 million) for Neymar and his father on corruption charges, although they are not likely to face any jail time if found guilty because they would be first-time offenders.
Prosecutors are also seeking a fine of about 9 million US dollars (£7.2 million) from Barcelona and 7 million US dollars (£5.6 million) from Santos.