Brazilian football star Neymar faces rape allegations

RIO DE JANEIRO: Star striker Neymar has been accused of raping a unnamed woman at a hotel in Paris, Brazilian media reports said Saturday, charges that the Brazil player has denied and his father slammed as attempted blackmail.

According to a complaint filed with Sao Paolo police and reported by the UOL and GloboEsporte websites, the Paris Saint-Germain star is accused of “using violence to have sex with the victim without her consent”.

The rape accusation — the sports star drunkenly assaulted her at an up-market hotel in the French capital — was outlined in a police report seen by Reuters. Sao Paulo’s security secretariat, however, would not provide a copy of the complaint to AFP, confirming only that one had been filed but saying its contents were classified.

The unidentified woman, who lives in Brazil, allegedly met Neymar through Instagram, and after exchanging messages, the footballer invited her to visit him in Paris in mid-May.

According to the complaint, Neymar arrived at the hotel “apparently intoxicated,” and the two chatted and exchanged “caresses.” But then “he became aggressive and used violence to have sex with the victim without her consent,” the document said.

The accusation represents a fresh blow for the Brazilian, who has seen his international reputation suffer amid incidents of indiscipline. He later posted a long video on his Instagram page, in which he denied all the accusations against him, claimed to be a victim of extortion, lamented the pain caused to him and his family, and shared WhatsApp messages with the alleged victim, including racy photos she sent him.

“I’m being accused of rape,” he says in the video. “Whoever knows me, knows of my character and my nature, and knows that I would never do a thing like that … What happened is exactly the opposite of what they’re saying.”

Neymar’s father, who is also his agent, categorically denied the accusations in an interview with Brazilian broadcaster Bandeirantes.

“This is not true, he has never committed any crime,” said Neymar Santos, arguing that his son was a victim of blackmail. “We have all the evidence and we already gave everything to the lawyers.”

According to Neymar Santos, his son and the woman went on a date but the player did not want to see her again. Since then, the woman has tried to extort money from the player and his family, he said.

“My son can be accused of many things, but I know what kind of man he is … it’s clear that this was a trap,” he said, adding that the family was prepared to release WhatsApp messages that would exonerate Neymar.

According to the media reports, the accuser was in Paris from May 15 to 17 but waited until last Friday to file the complaint in Brazil because she was “emotionally shaken”.

Neymar, 27, is currently in Brazil preparing for the Copa America, which takes place in the country from June 14 to July 7.