“I prefer a cyber crime to a rape offence”, says Neymar’s father

Mumbai: Neymar Junior’s father, who also manages the player was quick to defend his son after a woman’s rape accusation hit the Brazilian during the team’s ongoing practice sessions for the Copa America.

Neymar stated the accusation to be a case of extortion and took to Instagram, posting a long video with screenshots of a chat with the accused woman with some edgy pictures that display the accuser’s willingness to intimacy, also talking about the pain the case has caused him and his family.

The world’s most expensive player may now be under investigation by the Brazil police for another crime. Posting the pictures in a video publicly may land Neymar in a cybercrime case.

“Neymar needed to defend himself quickly,” his father said while speaking to local TV. “We didn’t have any choice. I prefer a cybercrime to a rape crime.”

Meanwhile, Brazilian coach Tite declined to ‘pass judgement’ on the player, proffering to leave the matter to the authorities.

“I do not want to pre-judge, and I prefer to leave the matter to responsible people,” he said at a news conference ahead of the upcoming Copa America tournament. “We do not yet have the facts clarified and time will give those answers.  

Tite added that “Technically Neymar is indispensable, but not irreplaceable.” The Brazilian coach and team are currently focussing on the upcoming friendly against Qatar on Wednesday.