Spain’s public prosecutor has called for Barcelona star Neymar to be sent to prison for two years for his part in a corruption case over his transfer from Brazilian club Santos to the La Liga champions in 2013, said a court filing on Wednesday.
A judge in Spain accepted corruption charges against the Brazil captain earlier this month, with Neymar accused, along with others, of concealing a portion of the cost of his move from Santos to the Nou Camp in 2013.
As well as the jail sentence, prosecutors have also called for the 24-year-old to be fined €10m.
They are seeking the same punishment for Neymar’s father, and also former club president Sandro Rosell, who is facing an additional three years for fraud charges.
Prosecutors asked for a fine of €8.4m (£7.2m) for the club, but called for charges against current president Josep Maria Bartomeu to be dropped.
The case stems from a complaint by Brazilian investment group DIS, which owned 40 per cent of Neymar’s transfer rights and which alleges it received less money than it was entitled to as Barca concealed the real transfer fee.
Barca said the price of Neymar’s transfer was €57.1m, with Santos receiving €17.1m. Prosecutors said the total amount paid by the Spanish club to Santos was €25.1m, meaning DIS would be entitled to an additional €3.2m.
Barcelona have been engulfed in legal troubles over Neymar’s transfer since 2013. Rosell resigned as the club’s president in 2014 for his role in the affair and testified in court in February alongside Bartomeu, Neymar and the player’s father.
The club struck a deal with prosecutors in June to settle a separate case and paid a £4.7 million fine and avoided trial on charges of tax evasion over the transfer.
Barca thought they had brought the affair to a close when judge Jose de la Mata archived the case in June, although Spain’s public prosecutor successfully overturned the ruling in September, allowing the case to proceed.
