Football | Neymar ordered to appear in court over Barcelona transfer

Brazilian star footballer Neymar will appear before a judge to testify in an investigation into alleged irregularities involving his transfer to Barcelona, Spain’s national court said yesterday.
Neymar’s parents, former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell and current president Josep Bartomeu also will have to appear before a judge, according to court documents.
The Brazil striker is set to testify on Feb. 2, while Rosell and Bartomeu are expected to be in court on Feb. 1.
The national court last year rejected the request by Neymar and other defendants to throw out a probe into the irregularities. 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.
Santos’ former presidents, Luis Alvaro de Oliveira and Odilio Rodriguez Filho, also have been asked to appear in court, as well as club representatives of both Barcelona and Santos. AP