A Brazilian judge has charged that Neymar "took steps to avoid reporting income and paying tax," according to Kelly Phillips Erb of FORBES. As a result, the judge has ordered 188.8M reais ($47.75M) of Neymar's assets frozen, "that amount is roughly three times more than the amount of tax at issue." In '13, Neymar announced that he would be joining Lionel Messi on FC Barcelona. That contract "helped Neymar climb the ranks of the soccer elite." In '15, Neymar was ranked #82 on Forbes' Celebrity 100 list and #23 on Forbes; list of the Worlds's Highest Paid Athletes racking up $14M in salary and $17M "in endorsements last year alone." At the time, the details of the contract to bring Neymar to Barcelona "were kept quiet." Leaks suggested the amount of the signing was "on the low side for a footballer of Neymar's talent," at just about $65M. The club has since acknowledged that Neymar's signing was "worth significantly more," at least $114M. Allegedly, payments related to the signing were "made to a Brazilian company controlled by Neymar's father," which Spanish prosecutors allege were taxable but disguised as other payments in order to "avoid reporting and tax requirements" (FORBES, 9/25). REUTERS' Andrew Downie reported the parents of Neymar have "denied any wrongdoing." Neymar is accused of not paying 63M reais ($16M) but his parents said the Barcelona player "cannot declare what is not his" and is not a partner in the firms a judge said were "part-owned by the player." The action covers property and vehicles and is a preventive measure to "stop the player selling assets before the case is settled." He will still have access to "bank accounts and other liquid assets." Judge Carlos Muta accused the 23-year old of "omitting sources of income from abroad." Barcelona was "cited as the source of unreported money" (REUTERS, 9/25).
