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Spain: Court shelves case against Neymar for Barca transfer

Judge Jose de la Mata has called a close to the investigation into the financial irregularities surrounding the transfer, much to the relief of Neymar and his father.

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All three parties including the new Barcelona president denied all allegations of wrong doings when they appeared in court in February.

The case had been brought to the courts by Brazilian investment fund DIS, who had formerly held the player’s rights prior to his move to the Nou Camp.

But a judge ruled that the case “cannot be pursued in the criminal courts”, according to a statement by Spain’s High Court.

The Brazilian’s transfer was originally valued at £44.7million by Barcelona, £31m of which was paid to a company owned by his father, with Santos receiving just £13.4m.

On signing Neymar in 2013, Barcelona said the price of his transfer was 57.1 million euros ($74 million). This after DIS claimed that Barca had concealed the exact figures of the transfer figure.

The player was already under contract until 2018 with Barcelona and the deal will keep him at the Catalan side until June 30, 2021.

The club and its players have been plagued by a series of legal woes.

Last month, the Barcelona board of directors reached an agreement regarding the taxes involved in the transfer.

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They were sentenced to 21 months in prison, but neither man is expected to go to jail because in Spain sentences of less than two years for first offences are usually suspended.

Case over Neymar’s transfer to Barcelona dismissed in court