BARCELONA - Neymar is set to go on trial today in the city he once called home, Barcelona.
The Brazilian star and eight others have been charged with fraud and corruption over his transfer to FC Barcelona from Santos in 2013.
The matter stems from a claim made by Brazilian investment firm DIS, which owned 40 percent of the rights to Neymar when he was at Santos.
DIS says it lost out on a cut due to the transfer because the value of the deal was underrated.
Spanish prosecutors are calling for a two-year prison sentence for the Paris Saint-Germain forward and a R177-million fine.
Meanwhile, DIS want harsher punishment. They want to see the 30-year-old behind bars for five years and a total fine of over R2-billion.
The other defendants include Neymar's parents, representatives of the two clubs, former Barca presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell, and former Santos president Odilio Rodrigues.
Neymar left Barcelona in 2017 to join PSG for a world record fee of almost R4-billion.