Getty Neymar Jr. of Brazil looks on during the national anthem before the friendly match against Qatar at Mane Garrincha Stadium on June 05, 2019 in Brasilia, Brazil.
According to a report from UOL Esporte, Brazilian soccer star Neymar was accused of rape on Saturday. A document was filed on 31 May by a woman in the 6th police station in Santo Amaro, a neighborhood outside of Sao Paulo. She is alleging that the incident occurred in Paris, and has since released that her name is Najila Trinidade Mendes de Souza.
Within a couple of days of a police investigation, local law enforcement started looking into a video of Neymar in a hotel room with the woman in question. Per a report from ESPN, the soccer star submitted the video to prove his innocence, while also showing cell phone correspondence to followers on Instagram.
A video has surfaced on Twitter of what many on social media are asserting is the video Neymar submitted to police. It shows him and an unknown woman consensually entering a hotel room bed, followed by a verbal altercation with shouting and shoving from both sides.
The rumoured video of Neymar and the girl who accused him of rape was been leaked. t.co/UyVEAcWI6y
According to a Google translation of the initial Esporte article, Souza stated in her legal complaint that a friend of Neymar’s called Gallo facilitated a meeting between the two. She then alleged that Neymar raped her.
In the document, obtained by UOL Sport, the accusation is that Neymar met the woman through the Instagram. After a conversation, it was agreed, through a friend of the player, called Gallo, that she would receive passage and lodging to travel to France to meet Neymar. According to the report, she stayed from May 15 at the Sofitel Paris Arc Du Triomphe and at around 8pm Neymar would have arrived drunk at the hotel.
After exchanges of caresses the woman accused Neymar of being aggressive and, through violence, practiced sexual intercourse without the consent of the victim. She said in her testimony that she returned to Brazil on May 17 and that she was emotionally shaken and afraid to record the occurrence.
According to Gazeta, Souza spoke publicly for the first time on television, saying among other things that Neymar, “hit my butt violently.” The woman in the video has a similar skin tone to Souza, but has not been confirmed to be her by police.
The Esporte article states that a Brazilian court can rule that the accusation could be defamation. According to RM Warner, a false accusation in Brazil can lead to heavy legal punishment, including three months to a year in jail.
Neymar facing very serious allegations – Globo reporting he’s been accused of raping a woman in Paris. Police investigation has started. t.co/ov7uTsSioe
The document is in Portuguese and can be read here. This is a developing story.