A Brazilian model has spoken publicly for the first time about her rape allegation against football superstar Neymar.
Najila Trindade Mendes de Souza went on television in Brazil to insist: “I was the victim of rape.”
The interview came as she released a video taken that appears to show her fighting with the Paris Saint Germain striker in a Paris hotel room.
The 26-year-old spoke out after Brazilian star Neymar, 27, vehemently denied the rape claim and accused her of trying to blackmail him.
Ms Mendes filed her rape claim with police in Sao Paolo last Friday, claiming he assaulted her last month after they met up through Instagram. The world’s most expensive footballer strongly denied the claims, posting a video message in which he shared intimate messages of photographs between the pair.
Ms Mendes claimed in the interview with Brazilian TV show SBT that she was attacked by the star on May 15 after connecting on social media and flying to meet him in Paris. Waiving her rights to anonymity, she said she wants “justice”.
She claimed that after talking through Instagram and WhatsApp, the couple met up in Paris with Neymar paying for her plane ticket to France and a hotel room.
“It was a sexual intent, my wish, it was clear to him,” she told SBT, according to the Brazilian newspaper O Globo. “I went to the hotel, he sent me a message, he said he was going to a party, but he would come over and give me a kiss. When he got there, everything was fine, but he was aggressive, totally different from the guy I met in the messages,” she added.
In the O Globo report, Ms Mendes said the footballer became violent after she asked him to put on a condom. “He said no. I said that then nothing would happen, that we could not. He was silent. He turned me around, committed the act, I asked him to stop,” she added.
It was “aggression together with rape,” she said, adding: “He did not communicate much, only acted.”
Ms Mendes also released footage reportedly filmed in a Parisian hotel in which she appears to be hitting the Paris Saint Germain striker. The video, said to have been taken the day after the alleged rape, shows the model saying: “I’m going to hit you, you know why. Because you beat me up yesterday.”
Neymar has confirmed having two encounters with his accuser but denies and wrongdoing. He is also being investigated by Rio de Janeiro’s cybercrime division for posting images of the woman on social media without her permission.
The star’s father, Neymar Sr., claimed in an interview that the former Barcelona forward was the victim. “My son is a victim of attempted extortion and this is the reason why he released the messages,” he said. “He preserved the name of the girl and her image but had to defend himself. He’s been accused of rape and this is a crime he has not committed.”
The latest developments came as Neymar was forced to leave a friendly international match versus Qatar last night with an ankle injury.
Earlier yesterday, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who attended the game in Brasilia, told journalists that he supported Neymar, saying: “He is a kid. He is in a difficult moment, but I believe in him.”
Photo Credit: Getty
