Paris St Germain and Brazil soccer star Neymar Jr. and eight others go on trial in Barcelona on Monday charged with fraud and corruption over the player’s transfer to Barcelona from Santos in 2013.
Neymar and his father landed in Spain early on Monday morning and hopped in a van towards downtown Barcelona after the football player took the time to sign an autograph for a fan at the city’s airport, Reuters footage showed.
Spanish prosecutors are seeking a two-year prison term and a 10 million euro ($9.8 million) fine for Neymar. They are also seeking a five-year jail term for former Barca president Sandro Rosell and an 8.4 million euro fine for the club.
The case centers on the claim made by Brazilian investment firm DIS, which owned 40% of the rights to Neymar when he was at Santos, that it lost out on its rightful cut from the player’s transfer because the value of the deal was understated.
DIS has demanded a much heavier five-year jail term for Neymar, fines worth 149 million euros in total, and for the player to be disqualified from playing for the length of any sentence handed down by the judge.
Along with Neymar, the defendants include his parents, representatives of the two clubs, former Barca presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Rosell, and former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues.
The court has ordered all to attend at 10:00am (0800 GMT) on Monday.
