Former Barcelona Presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu, Sandro Rosell and ex-forward Neymar Junior have been acquitted of corruption charges relating to his transfer from Santos to Barcelona. The case had been ongoing for 3.5 five years, but the appeal made by the prosecution has been rejected by the Supreme Court in Spain.

The original verdict was handed down in December 2022, but the appeal had taken some time to make its way through the court system. Rosell, Bartomeu, Neymar and Santos were accused of corruption between businesses and bribery in the form of a simulated contract, referencing the deal that took him from Santos to Barcelona, but have been cleared, as per MD.

The complainant was the company DIS, who in 2009, acquired the economic rights to Neymar for R5m (€856k) when the Brazilian was just 17 years of age. They claim they were economically disadvantaged by an agreement that brought forward his move to Barcelona to a year, which the court acknowledged, but ruled that this was a sporting decision rather than a financial one.

Barcelona have been penalised by the tax authority in Spain previously for misreporting the total fees in the deal, resulting in a financial penalty. In total, the fee paid for Neymar is believed to be €88m, far beyond the initial €65m that was reported. Neymar would then leave four years later for Paris Saint-Germain for the world record transfer fee of €222m.

Overall, Barcelona made a significant profit of €134m, and Neymar helped Barcelona to two league triumphs and a Champions League. However his exit is regarded as the turning point in Barcelona’s fortunes, with his transfer fee poorly reinvested and Barcelona struggling to recover their level. There was talk that he could return to the club at various points, but the deal never transpired, in no small part down to Barcelona’s ailing finances by that point.