This case centers on Neymar, the football star, and former FC Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, amid alleged corruption and fraud tied to Neymar’s contract with Barça. The trial window is set from Monday, October 17, to Monday, October 24, according to Prosecution sources.
According to the indictment obtained by Europa Press, the Prosecutor’s Office seeks two years in prison for Neymar and five years for Rosell. At the time, Rosell served as Barça’s president, and Neymar had begun negotiations to join Barça in 2011 while playing for Santos FC. Neymar’s contract at that time carried a 65 million euro termination clause through 2014.
Rosell and Neymar’s father, acting on behalf of the player, allegedly agreed that Barça would pay 40 million euros to secure Neymar’s signing in 2014. An advance of 10 million euros was to be paid when Neymar agreed to leave Santos, with a condition that he would repay the money if he breached the deal.
The pact implied that Neymar would sign with Barça in the future, with the prosecutor arguing that it limited other clubs from competing freely in the transfer market.
The arrangement involved two contracts, with Barça disbursing 10 million as an upfront payment and the remaining 30 million spread across two later installments, one in 2013 and another in 2014.
The prosecutor contends that this affected the transfer market and also harmed the DIS fund, which held a stake in Neymar’s economic rights, potentially reducing the player’s market value in a broader transfer scenario.
without permission from the board
The prosecutor’s report also notes that Rosell and the then first vice president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, allegedly authorized a 2013 signature “without the consent of the board” in a decision involving the acquisition of the player’s federation rights.
The course of events reportedly led Rosell to offer Neymar a higher salary than previously agreed, with the player seemingly requesting a larger signing bonus to join Barça a year earlier, while the extra fee was shielded from easy scrutiny.
According to the prosecutor, an agreement was also reached with Santos FC to handle federation rights directly, thereby avoiding the expected 40% payment to the DIS fund on those rights.
10 million fine
The prosecution requests a fine of 10 million euros for Rosell and Neymar, in addition to the prison terms of five and two years respectively.
Additionally, the actor’s father faces a corruption charge, with a request for a two-year prison sentence and a 10 million euro fine.
The case also involves FC Barcelona as a legal entity linked to Santos FC, with the prosecutor seeking a three-year sentence for alleged fraud. The club is facing a proposed fine of 8.44 million euros and further fraud charges related to the case.
The prosecutors urge that former president Bartomeu be prosecuted, noting that although he participated in signing one of the contracts, there is no clear evidence that he knew the negotiation was conducted with DIS funding in mind, and that the matter may fall outside FIFA regulations in some respects.
In summary, the allegations describe a scheme intended to steer Neymar toward Barça through financial arrangements that could have restricted competing clubs, altered market dynamics, and diverted funds associated with the player’s rights. The document outlines a series of contracts and payments and scrutinizes the roles of top Barça officials in the decision-making process, including the handling of federation rights and the transparency of compensation packages.
As the legal process unfolds, prosecutors emphasize potential penalties, fines, and the broader implications for transfer practices, club governance, and how under-the-table agreements can influence player movement and the allocation of football-related revenue.