Neymar Santos Sr, father to Brazilian-born footballer, Neymar Jr. has revealed that his family won’t be involved in the court case of the convicted former footballer, Daniel Alves.
Neymar da Silva Santos Sr. said in a statement on behalf of his family that they financially supported Alves during his trial, but that they won’t do it again since the former player was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub in 2022.
Neymar’s father didn’t specify how much they gave Alves but added that it’s a “different situation” now because the three-judge panel at the Barcelona Provincial Court ruled against Alves.
“With the Spanish court ruling for his conviction, there’s speculation and an attempt to associate my name and my son’s to a matter that is not within our reach any longer,” Neymar’s father said in the family’s statement.
He added that he hopes Alves “can find all the answers he looks for in his own family.”
The prison term is near the lowest sentence for a rape conviction, which when the attack took place was penalized by four to 12 years under Spanish law. The court in its sentence said it considered favorably for Alves that he had “before the trial paid the court €150,000 to be given to the victim without any conditions attached.”
Alves, who has denied wrongdoing in the case, has remained in custody since being arrested in January 2023.
Alves’ prior requests to be released on bail were denied because the court deemed him a flight risk.
Brazil does not extradite its own citizens when they are sentenced in other countries.
As a bail condition, Alves would be required to hand over his Brazilian and Spanish passports. He is prohibited from leaving Spain. He still has a residence near Barcelona.
