DIS demand five-year prison sentence for Neymar

Barcelona's court case with Brazilian investment company DIS is back in the spotlight after the firm laid out their demands of a five-year prison sentence for Neymar as the courts re-open the fraud investigation surrounding the striker's transfer. With DIS contractually obliged to receive a cut of Neymar's transfer fee from Santos to the Blaugrana, much wrangling has taken place over exactly how much that should amount to, with the club handing over tens of millions of euros less than what was initially claimed to be owed. In setting out their case, the investment fund demand that Neymar and his father, who's also his agent, be imprisoned for five years for their role in the alleged fraud, with an eight-year term called for regarding current Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu and his predecessor Sandro Rosell. Financial compensation of 195 million euros has also been named as one of DIS' requirements in the event of their victory in the case, which was initially dismissed after Barcelona accepted a 5.5m euro settlement with the Spanish authorities in relation to the tax irregularities of the transfer.DIS has refused to negotiate with Barcelona after launching a corruption case against the club, Neymar and others.

The lawsuit accuses Barcelona, Santos, current club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, his predecessor Sandro Rosell, the player himself and his parents of corruption regarding contracts signed between 2011 and 2013. "As executive director Roberto Moreno has already expressed on several occasions, 'DIS does not negotiate with regards to crimes', especially with crimes as serious as transfer market corruption," a DIS statement said. The same statement explains that the minimum economic damage the company believes has been caused by the Catalan club is 33.9 million euros, as MARCA revealed a few days ago. In the past few days some information had appeared which suggested the 24-year-old would have required a pact with DIS to renew his Barcelona contract, but he was able to so on Thursday without their consent.