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Neymar to appear in court in transfer case

Despite high court investigations revealing Barcelona paid €83 million for the forward, DIS only received 40% of €17m fee Santos were originally understood to have received.

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The court is looking into a complaint made by a Brazilian investment group which claims it was financially harmed when Barcelona and Neymar allegedly withheld the real amount of the player’s transfer fee from Brazilian club Santos in 2013, in part to avoid paying the full amount of taxes.

Neymar, Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu and his predecessor Sandro Rosell have all been called to testify regarding the forward’s 2013 transfer.

Meanwhile, Bartomeu and Rosell could face prison sentences for their role in the transfer, while the club could be hit with a fine of more than €20 million.

Barcelona and their star player are also now embroiled in a investigation into alleged tax fraud. A Brazilian court had also frozen £31.3 million worth of assets registered in the name of Neymar and his father, in the company that they own together.

The firm alleges it was the victim when Barca signed the player, third in the latest world football player of the year poll, from Brazilian club Santos.

The scandal over the concealed transfer fee led to Rosell’s resignation as president in January 2014 with then vice-president Bartomeu taking charge.

Bartomeu was a vice president under Rosell when Neymar was signed in a complex deal involving multiple contracts.

In an interview with SPORT at the end of previous year, Neymar’s father explained the family are “suffering from huge insecurity” because of the off-the-pitch problems.

Federation Internationale de Football Association recently said it was also analyzing a complaint related to the transfer. No date for a trial has been set so far.

Neymar and his father were already under the scanner of the law for alleged allegations of tax fraud.

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Last year, Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano admitted to a court that he failed to pay almost 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) in taxes owed for 2011 and 2012.

Neymar ordered to appear in court in fraud probe