By Newsfeed/Reuters
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Brazil midfielder Fernandinho backed his teammate Neymar on Sunday, saying he and the other players training for the Copa America will not let the rape accusations against the Paris St Germain player affect their preparations for the tournament.
Neymar issued a statement early Sunday morning denying any wrongdoing in a case that came to light hours before, when São Paulo’s public security office confirmed a young woman had made the accusation.
The woman, who was not named, alleged that Neymar raped her in a Paris hotel room on May 15th.
The PSG forward posted a long video on his Instagram page denying all the accusations, saying he was a victim of extortion and lamenting the pain caused to him and his family.
The video showed what he said were WhatsApp messages he exchanged with the alleged victim, including racy photos she sent him.
In a further complication for the former Santos player, police in Rio said on Sunday they were investigating whether he committed a crime by posting the intimate pictures online.
“I heard about this with great sadness, and I thought it strange,” Fernandinho, one of the most experienced players in the squad, told reporters at the national team’s training camp outside Rio. “Fifteen days of travel until the girl denounced him.”
“But I think this is going to be cleared up as soon as possible and I believe in Neymar’s innocence. We, the players, and the backroom staff are going to support him so that it doesn’t have any effect on the field.”
Neymar arrived at the camp on Sunday in his personal helicopter but did not speak to reporters.
Brazil is preparing for the Copa America, a tournament played by South America’s ten national teams plus Japan and Qatar, which kicks off on June 14th.
Brazil plays friendlies against Qatar on June 5th and Honduras four days later.
The 27-year old Neymar became the most expensive soccer player ever when he left Barcelona for Paris St Germain for Euro 222 (US$263) million in 2017.
Widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest Brazilian players this century, he has become a polarizing figure, loved by some for his brilliance with football but loathed by others for his unapologetically extravagant lifestyle and penchant for diving and feigning injury on the field.
(Source: Reuters)
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