Neymar has sent his thanks to his fans for their support following allegations of rape levelled at the Paris Saint-Germain star, with his lawyer vowing to prove the forward’s innocence.
Sao Paulo police have confirmed to Goal that there has been a complaint made against the player from a Brazilian woman he met in Paris.
The police would not discuss details of the ongoing investigation following the complaint filed by the woman on May 31.
Brazilian outlet UOL was the first to report the accusations and claim statements made to authorities are being kept confidential.
Neymar denies the allegations, and his camp maintains the 27-year-old’s innocence, stating that he was the target of a blackmail attempt, while the player’s father believes WhatsApp messages sent to his son’s phone from the woman would be used to help clear his name.
Neymar was forced off after just 21 minutes of Brazil’s friendly clash with Qatar on Wednesday due to an ankle injury, and it has since been confirmed that he’s been ruled out of this summer’s Copa America.
On Thursday, Neymar gave his testimony to police in Rio de Janeiro concerning a social media post he published that allegedly contains, without the woman’s permission, pictures and videos of her, which may potentially be a violation of her online privacy.
Brazilian police have not commented in relation to the allegations made by the woman, and have not charged Neymar with any crime.
He arrived at the Virtual Crimes Precinct in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, where he was questioned for over an hour and asked to give his version of events regarding the social media post.
Speaking to reporters outside the precinct, he said: “I would like to thank you all for your support, the messages I’ve been getting, my fans. I’m feeling their love, I can only thank them all.”
Neymar’s lawyer, Maira Fernandes, also spoke briefly with the media and says she is confident that her client will be proven innocent.
“[We want] to prove the innocence of our client. We’re very confident about that,” she said.
“Neymar has given his testimony [relating to the leaked pictures and videos without permission], he insisted on coming as soon as possible, to clarify everything regarding this case. We fully trust we’ll prove our client’s innocence. This process is under secrecy, but he’s given all due clarifications.”
The accuser, Najila Trindade, spoke to Brazilian television channel SBT Brasil earlier this week, describing her interactions with Neymar following the allegations that the 27-year-old forward raped her.
