Judge orders Barca to hand over Neymar documents

A SPANISH judge has ordered Barcelona to hand over documents related to the signing of Brazil striker Neymar, as part of a lawsuit brought by one of its club members regarding the cost of the transfer.

Barcelona's Brazilian forward Neymar da Silva Santos Junior. Picture: Getty

Judge Pablo Ruz has given Barcelona five days to present the “contract or contracts signed by Neymar Da Silva Junior or his representatives and the papers indicating the amounts received for the contracts” and its financial reports from 2011, 2012 and 2013. Barca must hand over the papers before a decision is made on whether to open proceedings against club president Sandro Rosell for the misappropriation of funds. “It is a charge without basis. I am relaxed,” Rosell said.

The case has been brought by club member Jordi Cases.

Neymar – who scored a Champions League hat-trick against Celtic last week – signed for the Spanish champions in the close season for €57.1 million, of which €17.1m went to his former club Santos, it was said in court. Cases is looking for clarification over what happened to the remaining €40m, which Barcelona say was paid to a company, named in media reports as Neymar & Neymar.

“It is not known what has really taken place with the €40m supposedly paid to the player or his representatives,” Cases said in a statement read out at the hearing yesterday.

The judge has given Barcelona five days to provide Neymar’s contracts. He has also asked for the club’s financial records from the previous three years, the period during which negotiations for Neymar’s signing took place.

Barcelona spokesman Toni Freixa said the club had nothing to hide. “We have acted with complete transparency and we have nothing to be concerned about,” he said. “We have explained the details of the transfer…€40m went to a company. If any judicial body asks for the information then there will be no problem.”