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STORY: Paris St Germain and Brazil soccer star Neymar went on trial on Monday, charged with fraud and corruption over the player’s transfer from Barcelona to Santos in 2013.
Eight others have also been accused.
30-year-old Neymar’s parents are among the defendants.
Neymar arrived at a Barcelona court after landing on a flight from Paris where he lives.
Spanish prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison term and a $9.8 million fine for him.
They are also seeking a five-year jail term for former Barca president Sandro Rosell, plus an $8.2 million fine for the club.
The case centers on a claim made by Brazilian investment firm DIS, which owned 40% of the rights to Neymar when he was at Santos.
It claims it lost out on its rightful cut from the player’s transfer because the value of the deal was understated.
DIS lawyer Paulo Nasser said the real cost of the transaction between Santos and Barcelona was around $80 million, and only 16.5 million appeared as the official transfer.
DIS has demanded a much heavier five-year jail term for Neymar, fines worth over $145 million, and for the player to be disqualified from playing for the length of any sentence.
All the defendants have previously denied any wrongdoing several times.
Neymar, a key member of the Brazil squad heading to the World Cup in Qatar next month, lost an appeal over the case in Spain’s High Court in 2017, clearing the way for the trial.
He spent around two hours at the Barcelona courthouse before he was excused by the judge from the rest of the day’s session.
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