Rio De Janeiro, Brazil | AFP
A Rio de Janeiro court has overturned a fine of more than $3 million against football star Neymar for allegedly damaging the environment by building an artificial lake at his mansion.
Neymar, 34, was fined in July 2023 by the chief prosecutor of Mangaratiba, a coastal town west of Rio where Brazil’s all-time top scorer has a residence.
“Ney” was accused of polluting two local bays by dumping construction waste into the sea.
However the fine of 16 million reais, or just over $3 million at current rates, had been suspended by a court for review since 2024.
However, the court has now ruled that the fine “must be declared null and void” because of flaws in the investigation, according to a ruling obtained by AFP on Tuesday.
The judge said the alleged wrongdoing was based solely on “photographs and videos sent” in October 2019 “following an anonymous tip-off,” and environmental authorities did not follow up with additional evidence.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player’s defense counsel submitted a technical report stating that water quality in the region on the date of the alleged spill was within acceptable limits.
“The investigations were launched due to the immense media storm around the case, solely because of the involvement of the defendant, who is a world-renowned athlete,” Neymar’s legal team said.
The 34-year-old Neymar returned to Brazil in 2025 after a spell in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal to play for his first club Santos.
Frequent injury problems in recent seasons have led Neymar to say he will possibly retire after this year’s World Cup, and in March he did not make Brazil’s latest squad.
The mercurial striker last played for his country in October 2023.
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Press Release/Material by AFP
Featured image credit: kjpargeter | Freepik
