A Brazilian court has frozen nearly $48 million in assets belonging to football superstar Neymar over tax evasion allegations surrounding the Barcelona striker.
The Sao Paulo federal court said Friday that the 23-year-old is alleged to have evaded almost $16 million in taxes between 2011 and 2013. He moved in 2013 from Brazilian club Santos to Spain's Barcelona.
Judge Carlos Muta said Neymar only declared assets worth almost $5 million.
Neymar earns around $61 million playing for the Barcelona football club, but the bulk of his assets are in Brazil and held between him and his family.
Neymar's father, Neymar da Silva Santos, told The Associated Press the charges were "unjust.'' The father, who serves as the player's business manager, said, "Neymar Jr. is not a partner in any of those companies and, therefore, he cannot declare something he does not own."
The elder Neymar said that Brazil's tax agency "doesn't understand'' his son's tax obligations.
