Barcelona happy with the decision to throw out Neymar fraud case
The Catalans received the positive news after the DIS investment fund’s complaint went kaput. The club is now keen to focus on only sporting matters.
Barcelona happy with the decision to throw out Neymar fraud case
Barcelona have expressed their utmost relief to see the end of Neymar’s legal battle. The Spanish High Court threw out a case that had alleged fraud in his transfer from Santos.
Brazilian investment fund DIS claimed they suffered financial damage. They complained Barca allegedly withheld the true value of the player’s transfer in 2013. But the high court threw out the case on Friday.
Club spokesman Josep Vives called a news conference with Barcelona director of legal services Roman Gomez Ponti. He described the case as “a chapter that has caused a lot of headaches … but everything is now over.
“This decision, along with the agreement in accordance passed by the Board of Directors, brings the Neymar case to a definitive end.”
Vives added: “We knew that following the agreement that this could have a positive effect on the Neymar 2 affair, and that was indeed the case.
“The club needs to clear up all these legal matters so that the fans and members can concentrate on sport.”
In a separate case, Barcelona was forced to pay a big fine of 5.5m euros ($6.1m; £4.7m) last month. It was because of tax irregularities in Neymar’s transfer from Santos.
Since moving to the Nou Camp, he has won two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies, the Champions League, the European Super Cup, the Spanish Super Cup and the Club World Cup. At Barcelona, he forms a fearsome attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Meanwhile, in a different case in Barcelona this week, Messi was sentenced to 21 months in jail for tax fraud. The Argentine football legend has appealed against the court’s ruling.
