Barcelona pays €5.5m euro fine over Neymar transfer

Barcelona pays €5.5m euro fine over Neymar transfer

Barcelona football club has agreed to pay a €5.5m (£4.3m) fine over the controversial transfer of Brazil international Neymar in 2013.

Barcelona pays €5.5m euro fine over Neymar transfer

Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu said to reporters there had been “a mistake… in tax planning” involving the transfer.

Barcelona had been accused of tax fraud over the signing, which it denied.

Neymar and his father are also being investigated over alleged tax fraud, which they also deny.

“We have had to accept paying a €5.5m fine due to a mistake in the 2011 and 2013 tax planning in the signing of Neymar,” Mr Bartomeu said.

“It was better to accept this agreement than continue on with the uncertainty that has dragged on for a long time over the Neymar case.”

Barcelona made a voluntary tax payment of €13.5m in 2014. It was after being charged with tax fraud over the signing, but denied any wrongdoing.

Neymar, whose full name is Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, joined Barcelona back in June 2013 after a successful career with his Brazilian club, Santos.

Barcelona said it paid €57m (£43m) for the striker, with the player’s parents receiving €40m and Santos €17m.

But investigators said the fee was closer to €83m. It said that Barcelona had concealed part of the deal. The club denied the claim though.

Earlier this month, Spanish prosecutors summoned Neymar to be tried for fraud.

They allege that the player and his father hid the true value of the transfer amount that was used while shifting from Santos to Barcelona.

A Brazilian investment fund, which held 40% of Neymar’s sporting rights when he used to play at Santos, argues it was deprived of its full share of the transfer deal. Neymar is also being investigated for tax evasion in Brazil.

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