PSG’s Brazilian footballer Neymar has been accused of raping a woman in a hotel in Paris last month, according to a police document in Brazil.
The player’s father called the accusation by the unidentified woman “a setup” against his son. The document obtained by the Associated Press on Saturday says the alleged incident took place on 15 May at 8:20pm in an upmarket hotel in Paris, where the star striker plays for Paris Saint-Germain.
The police document says the woman went to police on Friday in Sao Paulo. A statement issued by Neymar’s management on his website said the 27-year-old forward completely repudiated the allegations.
“Although he was surprised by the news, the facts were already known to the player and his staff, considering that a few days ago he was the victim of an attempted extortion, practised by a lawyer from Sao Paulo who said he represented the interests of the alleged victim,” read the statement.
“The player’s lawyers were immediately notified and have since taken all appropriate steps. We completely repudiate the unjust accusations and, above all, the exposure in the press of an extremely negative situation. All evidence of attempted extortion and non-rape will be submitted to the police authorities in a timely manner.”
The player’s father, Neymar dos Santos, who is also his agent, denied any wrongdoing in a television interview. “This is a tough moment. If we can’t show the truth quickly it will be a snowball. If we have to show Neymar’s WhatsApp messages and the conversations with this lady, we will,” he told TV Band. The woman says she and the footballer star met in France after exchanging Instagram messages.
She told police a representative of the player named Gallo allegedly bought her plane tickets to Paris and booked her a room in the Hotel Sofitel Paris Arc Du Triomphe. She said Neymar arrived apparently drunk at the hotel. The woman described to police that they “touched each other, but Neymar became aggressive and, with violence, had sexual intercourse against the victim’s will”. The police document also says the woman left Paris two days later and returned home to Brazil. It says she did not file her complaint in Paris because she was shaken.
The police document says the woman will go through medical exams as part of an investigation. Neymar is in Brazil preparing for the South American football championships, the Copa America, which starts next week.
Photo Credit: Getty
