Barcelona charged with tax fraud over Neymar signing

Barcelona have been charged following the signing of Neymar

Barcelona have been charged by a Spanish court with committing tax fraud in the signing of the Brazil forward Neymar last year, a court spokesman said on Thursday.

"Judge Pablo Ruz has charged FC Barcelona with an infringement against the tax authority relating to the purchase of the Brazilian player," the spokesman said. Barça denied wrongdoing after local media reported on Wednesday that Spain's public prosecutor had asked Judge Ruz to lay fraud charges against the club.

"The club's actions have, at all times, regarding that operation [to sign Neymar] and in line with the available information, been fully compliant with existing law," Barça said in a statement. The Spanish champions added they would be sending legal representatives to court "in the coming days" to defend their rights and interests. "At the same time [Barça] states its complete availability to collaborate with the justice authorities in this process, as it has been doing from the first moment, or in any other that might require its intervention."

Neymar's high-profile move from Santos in the close season is also being investigated for possible misappropriation of funds following a complaint from a Barça member.

Sandro Rosell, who was named in the lawsuit but denies wrongdoing, stepped down as president last month. He said he wanted to protect the club's image and alleged he and his family had been threatened. Rosell was replaced by his deputy Josep Bartomeu who said Neymar cost Barca €86.2m, including payments to the player and his family, and not €57.1m as they originally said.

Barça initially refused to reveal all the details of the deal, citing a confidentiality agreement with Neymar's family, but Bartomeu announced that Neymar's father had given them permission to go public.

Neymar, meanwhile, has attacked his former club over the transfer and spoken out in support of his father, insisting he had the right to make millions from his transfer. A company owned by Neymar Jr received €40m when the Brazilian moved from Santos, whose share was only €17.1m, prompting the club's fans and officials to question the deal.

Santos asked a court to let them see the Neymar family's contract with Barcelona with a view to seeking a bigger cut of the transfer fee. The club lost their case and are now threatening to ask a Spanish judge to order Neymar and Barcelona to hand over the contract.

The 22-year-old Neymar, in a short and angry attack on his official Instagram page, protested his father's innocence and hit out at Santos's current and former presidents. "I am sick and tired of this … I've had enough of all this talk," Neymar Jr wrote. "I am a fan of my dad for having put me where I am, and if he makes millions from that, what's the big deal? He worked for it, it didn't just fall in his lap."

He added: "Enough is enough. Sorry, Santos fans, but my love for the club won't change because of 'one or two people'."

Santos president Odilio Rodrigues had criticised Neymar Sr earlier this week, calling the deal he did with Barcelona "unacceptable". "There was as an ethical error," he said, in reference to Neymar Sr's companies. Neymar's father, in a statement on his son's website on Thursday, said he held no grudge against Santos – the club Neymar supported as a child – but he questioned their conduct.

"We could start deliberately blaming everyone else," he wrote. "We hear lots of things and we don't really know what's going on. It seems to me to be opportunism or maybe internal [club] politics.