Spain’s Supreme Court upholds the acquittal of Neymar and former Barcelona presidents on corruption charges related to his 2013 transfer from Santos
SPAIN’S Supreme Court has confirmed the acquittal of Brazilian football star Neymar and former Barcelona presidents on corruption charges. The charges centred on the player’s high-profile transfer to the Catalan club in 2013.
The court dismissed an appeal by Brazilian investment firm DIS, which had initiated the legal action in 2015. DIS claimed it was financially disadvantaged as it owned 40% of Neymar’s sporting rights during his time at Santos FC.
The firm argued the true transfer value was obscured and that it was unaware of a 2011 exclusivity agreement between Neymar and Barcelona. A lower Spanish court had acquitted all defendants, including Neymar’s parents and former presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, following a 2022 trial.
Santos, its former president, and the N&N company managed by Neymar’s parents were also cleared. The Supreme Court stated “the proven facts have revealed the inconsistency of the accusation”.
“There was neither an offence of corruption in business dealings nor improper fraud, neither by the player, his representatives nor FC Barcelona,” the court said. It attributed the deal to a sporting decision by Barcelona to secure his signing amid rival interest.
DIS had sought to recover EUR 35 million it claimed it was owed. Barcelona stated the transfer cost EUR 57.1 million, with EUR 40 million paid to N&N and EUR 17.1 million to Santos, of which EUR 6.8 million went to DIS.
Prosecutors had initially sought a two-year jail term and a EUR 10 million fine for Neymar but later dropped the charges. A separate tax fraud case related to the transfer concluded in 2016 when Barcelona paid a EUR 5.5 million fine.
