Neymar transfer to Barcelona 'upheld' by CAS, Santos' appeal turned down

In what comes as a major relief to Barcelona, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed Brazilian side Santos FC's appeal against the Catalan giants involving the transfer of Neymar Jr in 2013. Santos had filed an official complaint with FIFA against Barcelona, claiming damages worth €60 million ($67 million) in relation to the famous Neymar transfer to Camp Nou. 

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Barcelona did not breach any rule in Neymar transfer: CAS 

Santos had levelled allegations against Barcelona claiming that the Catalan giants had violated rules by paying additional amounts to Neymar Santos Sr and the family company N&N. However, these allegations were deemed baseless by CAS, which pronounced judgement in the Neymar transfer on Tuesday, claiming that Barcelona did not breach any rule during the transfer. 

The CAS statement confirmed that it had dismissed an appeal from Santos pertaining to the Neymar transfer to Barcelona in 2013. The statement also revealed that the Brazilian club had demanded a sort of ban with regards to the breach in transfer negotiations. CAS has, in fact, asked Santos to pay 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,000), labelling it as the legal cost for Barcelona. CAS asserted that Barcelona did not violate any law by paying an additional amount to Neymar's father. The statement also confirmed that Barcelona did no wrong in signing a pre-contract agreement with the winger, nor was the Neymar transfer contract fraudulent.

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Bartomeu rubbishes Neymar to Barcelona rumours 

The CAS verdict comes at a time when reports of Neymar transfer to Barcelona are doing the rounds. Despite frequent reports suggesting a return to Camp Nou for the Brazil international, Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu on Tuesday asserted that his signing was nigh impossible. While speaking to RAC 1, Bartomeu asserted that the Neymar transfer to Barcelona seems like an impossible operation at the moment because of the financial difficulties of the clubs across Europe. 

Also Read | Neymar transfer: PSG demand whopping £156 million in cash from Barcelona for the Brazilian

Second verdict in favour of Barcelona

Neymar had earlier sued Barcelona to the tune of €43.6 million ($49 million) in loyalty bonuses. However, a Spanish court ruled in favour of Barcelona. The Catalan giants then filed a countersuit against the PSG star demanding the return of the €8.85 million ($9.9 million) that he received as a signing bonus when he extended his contract in 2016. The Spanish court also agreed with the claims put forward by the defending LaLiga champions and ordered the Brazil international to repay the amount to his former club. 

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Image courtesy: AP