Football
Associated Press 5y

Neymar speaks to investigators in rape case

Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar arrived at a Sao Paulo police station on Thursday to answer questions about rape allegations against him.

Wearing a black suit, the player was using crutches because of an injury to his right ankle that will keep him out of this month's Copa America. Investigator Juliana Bussacos met Neymar at the entrance amid a media frenzy. A crowd of fans also cheered the 27-year-old Neymar, who is Brazil's most recognizable player.

Neymar, who was accompanied by his lawyers to the meeting, has denied wrongdoing. The woman who has accused him of raping her at a Paris hotel last month already spoke with police last week.

The player is also being investigated in Rio de Janeiro for publishing images of the woman on social media without her authorization.

Neymar spent nearly five hours at the police station and made a short statement before departing.

"Thank you for all the messages that I've received so far. I am very calm, the truth appears sooner or later, he said. "The only wish I have in this moment is for this case to end as quickly as possible."

Prior to Neymar leaving, the prosecutor in the case said the player had made all required statements.

"He answered all the questions in a satisfactory manner," prosecutor Flavia Cristina Merlini told reporters. "He did not leave any doubts for the [prosecutor's office] to ask other questions in accordance with the evidence collected, unless more evidence is revealed."

The Associated Press doesn't name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they make their identities public, which 26-year-old model Najila Trindade Mendes de Souza did in interviews with Brazilian television.

Also on Thursday, Mendes de Souza reported that she has picked her fourth lawyer to handle the case. The previous three decided to leave the case.

Neymar's jet flew into Sao Paulo's Congonhas airport at midafternoon and was driven to the police station in a black van. The player came from his mansion in the city of Mangaratiba, outside Rio de Janeiro.

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