Neymar ordered to stand trial over Barcelona move

Barcelona forward Neymar has been ordered to stand trial in a Spanish court over allegations of fraud and corruption.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his predecessor Sandro Rosell were also named as defendants over the Brazilian's 2013 transfer from Santos. Both clubs will also stand trial.

Prosecutors claim Barcelona, Santos and the Neymar family lied about the value of the transfer, announced at the time as 57.1 million euros, of which 17 million euros were paid o Santos.

Court documents allege that Santos in fact received 25 million euros, meaning that Brazilian marketing firm DIS, which held 40% of Neymar's transfer rights, were cheated out of 3.5 million euros.

The prosecution has called for five-year jail terms for Neymar and his parents, eight-year sentences for Rosell and Bartomeu and a 195 million-euro fine for Barcelona.

Thursday's announcement follows a raft of legal proceedings related to the transfer.

Last July, a Spanish judge quashed criminal action against Neymar and his family, saying the accusations were a matter for a civil court.

A month earlier, Barcelona agreed to pay a 5.5 million-euro fine to settle a separate case in which the club was accused of tax evasion over the transfer.

Neymar and his family are also being investigated in Brazil over alleged irregularities related to the deal. Endit