The father and manager of Brazilian star Neymar says the
mega-transfer deal which took the striker from Santos to Barcelona was
"absolutely legal."
It comes with Spanish prosecutors requesting a
prison sentence of two years and three months for Barcelona president
Josep Maria Bartomeu and seven for his predecessor, Sandro Rosell, over
the so-called Neymar affair.
The two men and the club are charged
with tax fraud and Rosell is also accused of accounting irregularities
over his time in charge.
The Madrid court is also calling for a
fine of 22.2 million euros ($A30.7 million) against the club over the
transfer deal, which has been the subject of an anti-corruption probe.
"I am convinced the people involved in this process proceeded at all
times respecting the laws of Brazil and Spain while also respecting
statutes of FIFA," Neymar da Silva Santos said in a statement.
Prosecutors
say Neymar's transfer cost in 2013 was "at least 83,371,000 euros" and
not the 57 million initially reported by Barcelona.
Neymar senior
did not mention Rosell or Bartomeu in his statement, but said he wanted
to stress that neither he nor any of his partners were the subject of
investigations, "contrary to what some Brazilian media have intimated in
recent days."
Following months of investigation, a Spanish judge must now consider whether the case should go to trial.
AFP
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