In Barcelona, ​​the lawsuit against Neymar has started for possible fraud and corruption in his 2013 transfer from Brazilian Santos to FC Barcelona. The football star faces two years in prison and a fine of 10 million euros.

Neymar, who scored the winning goal for his current club Paris Saint-Germain against Olympique Marseille on Sunday, arrived at a Barcelona court on Monday morning along with his parents, who have also been charged.

Six other people involved in the transfer are expected to appear in court, including then-Barcelona president Sandro Rosell and his colleague at Santos Odilio Rodrigues. Deny all suspects.

The case has been dragging on for years, but should actually be completed this month. What was it about again? And should Neymar really fear the bars?

Why is?

The case was initiated years ago by the Brazilian investment company DIS. The company paid Neymar’s family €2m in 2009 in exchange for 40 per cent of the then 17-year-old football talent’s transfer rights.

This transfer came four years later. Neymar joined the great Barcelona. The transfer included an amount of 57.1 million euros – officially – 17 million for Santos and 40 million for Neymar and his family.

DIS received 40 percent of these 17 million into its account, but according to the investment company, this is far too little and in fact much more money was paid in for the transfer. In an earlier episode of the legal dispute, a Spanish investigating judge had already set the actual sum at more than 83 million euros.

Which dubious cash flows are involved?

For example, it’s about the 40 million that Barcelona boss Rosell transferred directly to Neymar’s family. DIS also claims 40 percent of this, and the company’s lawyer even speaks of bribery. By paying the amount to the family themselves, other interested clubs would have been sidelined.

Real Madrid, for example, were also in the running for Neymar’s signing at the time, but Los Blancos didn’t get an answer. For this reason, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez is also expected to make a statement during the process.

Santos is also accused of receiving a further €12m from Barcelona through shady detours including around a friendly between the two clubs.

The opaque cash flows surrounding the transfer have already caused problems for Neymar and Barcelona with the Spanish tax authorities. This case was settled in 2016 for 5 million euros. Barcelona then admitted they ‘made a mistake in tax planning around the transfer’.

Should Neymar really face jail time?

The chance that the PSG star really has to complain is practically zero. Prosecutors are asking for a two-year sentence, but in Spain convicts with no criminal record do not have to go to prison for two years or less. That’s what happened, for example, to Lionel Messi – Neymar’s current and former team-mate at PSG and Barcelona – when he was sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax evasion in 2016.

The possible fine of 10 million will not give Neymar sleepless nights with an estimated annual salary in Paris of more than 70 million.

The lawyers of the DIS have also announced that they are aiming for a significantly higher sentence for Neymar: five years in prison, 34 million euros in damages and 195 million euros in fines.

Spanish prosecutors are also demanding five years in prison for former Barca president Rosell, who resigned in 2014 because of the Neymar affair. Former Santos President Rodrigues faces three years in prison.

How long will the lawsuit last?

The process in Barcelona is expected to last two weeks. Neymar has to be present, however, there’s a chance he’ll be allowed to miss meetings, for example because he has to play football.

Neymar is expected to be questioned by the Spanish judge himself next Friday.