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      Neymar avoids two-year jail sentence and £8.6m fine as all fraud and corruption charges regarding 2013 transfer dropped

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      NEYMAR has seen all fraud and corruption charges against him dropped by Spanish prosecutors.The Brazilian, 30, was facing a punishment of up to two years in prison and an £8.62million fine.
      Neymar has seen all charges against him droppedCredit: The Mega Agency
      This was in relation to a case which centred around an allegation from Brazilian investment firm DIS – which owned 40 per cent of the rights to Neymar when he was at Brazilian club Santos.
      They were alleging that they lost out on their rightful cut from the transfer because the value of the deal was understated.
      A court document released in July alleged that, in 2011, Barcelona paid Neymar 40 million euros to ensure he moved to the Nou Camp when his Santos contract expired in 2014.
      The offence – which saw Neymar and his family accused – is not punishable in Brazil but a trial was ongoing in Spain until today when the charges were thrown out.
      READ MORE ON NEYMAR
      According to Reuters, Neymar’s legal team will claim costs against the prosecution for “recklessness, acting in poor faith and for abuse of process”, while also reserving the right to claim for damages.
      Speaking during his first testimony earlier this week, Neymar said: “I didn’t participate in the negotiations.
      “My father always took care of it and always will. I sign everything he tells me to sign.
      “Playing for Barcelona was always my dream, a childhood dream.”
      Most read in Football
      And Neymar da Silva Santos, the player’s father, added: “Our intention was to prepare a career plan for him in Europe, in which we had in place already established, could learn the language, etc.
      “And knowing his dream to play for Barcelona, we signed that priority agreement with them.”
      Neymar and his parents had the right not to testify in the case but decided to do so anyway.
      Real Madrid president Florentino Perez appeared as a witness during the trial.
      Read More on The Sun
      He claimed Los Blancos offered Santos 45 million euros for Neymar in 2011 and then 36 million euros in 2013.
      But he decided to join Barcelona instead – where he would spend four years before joining Paris Saint-Germain for a world record £198m in 2017. More

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      Benjamin Mendy ‘told cops he was shocked at arrest for raping woman’ and said ‘I didn’t try to stop her leaving’ mansion

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      MANCHESTER City’s Benjamin Mendy told police he was “shocked” at being arrested for rape, a court heard.Mendy, 28, was interviewed by police multiple times in relation to a number of rape and sexual assault allegations, Chester Crown Court was told.
      Benjamin Mendy arrives at Chester Crown Court todayCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      The Manchester City player’s ongoing trial sees him charged along with his co accused Louis Saha Matturie with multiple rapes and sex assaultsCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      The Premier League footballer and his friend and ‘fixer’ Louis Saha Matturie, 41, deny all charges at their trial, now in its 12th week.
      The footballer gave a number of prepared statements to detectives followed by “no comment” interviews on instruction by his solicitor, the court heard.
      Timothy Cray KC, prosecuting, read the prepared statement Mendy gave in relation to the first of the young women he is alleged to have raped.
      The woman, aged 24, claims Mendy raped her three times at his home in Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, in October 2020.
      Mendy said in the statement he had been out for a few drinks to a bar with Matturie and others in Alderley Edge near his home and met some girls who were invited back to his house.
      While there he saw one girl using her phone, which visitors had been instructed not to do, to video his home.
      Read More on The Sun
      Mendy told police: “I asked her to delete the video. She gave me her phone and I deleted it.
      “As I did so a photo of her with no clothes on came up on screen. She said she had more photos of her like that and we agreed to go upstairs to my bedroom so she could show me more.”
      In his bedroom Mendy said she showed him more naked photos and took her top off and they started kissing.
      Mendy said the woman gave him oral sex and agreed they would “play around” but she did not want to go any further.
      Most read in Football
      Later she left with another girl and he ended up having sex with one of the 24-year-old’s friends from the bar, who stayed the night in his bed.
      He told detectives: “I’m shocked to be accused of rape and false imprisonment. All sexual activity between me and her was completely consensual.
      “I did nothing to prevent her from leaving.”
      Mendy gave a further three prepared statements to police in relation to separate women he had allegedly raped where he told detectives the sex was consensual.
      He denies seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault against six young women.
      Matturie, of Salford, denies six counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault relating to seven young women.
      Both men say if any sex did take place with women or girls it was consensual.
      Read More on The Sun
      None of the women involved, as sexual assault complainants, can be identified.
      The trial was adjourned until Friday morning. More

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      Former Aston Villa striker John Carew facing two years in prison and £45k fine after pleading guilty to fraud charges

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      FORMER Aston Villa striker John Carew is facing TWO YEARS in prison and a £45,000 fine after pleading guilty to fraud charges.The punishment was requested by the prosecution in his case at the Oslo District Court. 
      Carew is facing two years in prison and a hefty fineCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      The prosecution insist Carew, 43, had plenty of opportunities to correct information given to the authorities, but chose not to. 
      Police attorney Ragna Flaekoy Skjakodegard said: “Carew has had many, many opportunities to correct the information given to the tax authorities.”
      However, Carew says his actions were the result of poor advice from friend, lawyer and former agent Per A. Flod. 
      The ex-Norway international said Flod’s advice led him to not disclose income and assets from outside of his home country.
      READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
      In his most recent court appearance, Carew said: “I trusted him blindly.
      “I have been convinced that he was right. He controlled me almost like a puppet.
      “I understand that it is grossly negligent of me to trust him so much, but that is why I have done it.”
      Carew spent over 15 years as a professional footballer.
      Most read in Football
      The overwhelming majority of his earnings were made abroad, having played for the likes of Valencia, Roma, Lyon and Besiktas. 
      However, the ex-striker is best known for his time in England.
      He played for Aston Villa for four years, West Ham for one, and spent half a season on loan at Stoke. 
      Carew represented his nation 91 times, scoring 24 times.
      He also won Norwegian footballer of the year on three occasions. More

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      Holland legend Mark van Bommel ‘feared for his life’ after smashing £100k Porsche escaping carjacker armed with a GUN

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      FORMER Holland star Mark van Bommel has smashed up his £100,000 Porsche – while escaping a gun-toting carjacker.The Royal Antwerp boss has led his side to second in the Belgian league this season.
      Mark van Bommel coaches Royal AntwerpCredit: EPA
      But the 45-year-old reportedly feared for his life when parking in the garage below his city apartment on Monday night.
      Former Bayern Munich midfielder Van Bommel told police a man pointed a pistol at him and told him to get out of the car.
      The panicked manager tried to reverse out of the garage, slamming into a parked Mercedes and setting off the cars’ alarms.
      The would-be robber fled amid the confusion.
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      Antwerp police have seized Van Bommel’s Porsche Panamera to check whether criminals fitted it with a tracking device.
      Spokesman Wouter Bruyns said: “Our teams searched the area, but they were unable to find a suspect.
      “Nobody was injured in the incident.”
      A tight-lipped Van Bommel admitted: “It was quite a shock, that’s for sure.”
      Most read in Football
      Prosecutors have opened an inquiry.
      World Cup star Van Bommel also played for Barcelona, AC Milan, PSV Eindhoven, Wolfsburg and Fortuna Sittard.
      The 79-cap midfielder went on to manage PSV and Wolfsburg before taking charge of Antwerp in May.
      His squad includes former Premier League stars Toby Alderweireld, Vincent Janssen, Ritchie de Laet and Bjorn Engels. More

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      Benjamin Mendy’s ‘fixer’ took teen girl, 17, on ‘date to Nando’s before asking her about his penis size’

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      A FRIEND of Premier League footballer Benjamin Mendy raped a teenage girl after a first date at Nando’s, a court has been told.Louis Saha Matturie told the then-17-year-old he was a football agent and, after the meal, took her to his flat, exposed himself and asked if he had the “biggest d***” she had seen, Chester Crown Court heard.
      Louis Saha Matturie at Chester Crown Court where he is charged with multiple rapes and sexual assaultsCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy also faces several chargesCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      Manchester City defender Mendy, 28, and his pal and “fixer” Matturie, 41, deny a series of rapes and sexual assaults.
      The jury watched a police interview of the last of 13 complainants, who told officers about the alleged rape between July 22 and August 30, 2012.
      She said she saw Matturie while clubbing in Manchester, swapped numbers with him and arranged a date at the chicken restaurant.
      She said he later drove the pair to his south Manchester flat, where they sat on a bed and kissed before he took his penis out.
      READ MORE ON BENJAMIN MENDY
      “He just had it out, fully exposed,” she said.
      “I just remember saying, ‘No. I don’t want to have sex.’
      “I wasn’t really feeling it. I didn’t really fancy him.
      “I just remember him wanting to have sex. I felt like I had to have sex with him because he had it out.
      Most read in The Sun
      “I just thought, ‘It’s got to this stage now.’ I felt obliged.
      “I remember him saying, ‘Is this the biggest d*** you have ever seen?’
      “And I remember looking at him and saying, ‘No.’
      “Like, I’m disgusted and numb. Repulsed.”
      The woman said she went to the toilet, cried and texted her mum to say she would be back soon.
      Matturie later drove her home.
      After news of Mendy and Matturie’s arrest last August, the woman said a friend sent an article about it to a group chat on her phone.
      She told officers: “I thought, ‘Oh, my God!’ I felt sick and knew that I needed to say what I know.
      “I just replied and said, ‘I went on a date with him once.'”
      ‘I FELT SICK’
      Earlier, the court heard from a friend of another woman, 18 at the time, who alleges Matturie sexually assaulted her at the home of a footballer in Sheffield in 2016.
      She said Matturie was the organiser of parties in Manchester, sometimes involving footballers, and contacted young women through Snapchat and Instagram.
      She said there would be “no more” than five men at the events, with 10 or 15 girls invited and around 10 parties held during lockdown at a flat near Manchester city centre.
      After Mendy’s arrest, she said Matturie rang her.
      She told the jury: “He said, ‘Don’t believe what’s in the newspapers. These are girls, not women’ – something along those lines – and he’s told his boys to keep their heads down.”
      Prosecutors say Mendy is a “predator” who “turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game”, while Matturie allegedly had the job of finding young women for sex.
      Mendy, of Mottram St Andrew, Cheshire, denies seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault against six young women.
      Matturie, of Eccles, Salford, denies six counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault relating to seven young women.
      Both men say if any sex did take place with women or girls it was consensual.
      Read More on The Sun
      None of the women involved, as sexual assault complainants, can legally be identified.
      The trial was adjourned until next Monday morning. More

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      Man denies murdering Tyson Fury’s cousin Rico Burton, 31, after he was stabbed outside bar

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      A MAN has today denied murdering Tyson Fury’s cousin in a knife attack outside a bar.Rico Burton, 31, was stabbed to death in a 3am “bloodbath” in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, in August.
      Rico Burton was stabbed to death after a night out
      Liam O’Prey has been charged with murderCredit: Facebook
      A 17-year-old man, believed to be a relative, suffered significant life-changing injuries.
      Liam O’Prey, 21, appeared at Manchester Crown Court today to deny a charge of murder.
      He also pleaded not guilty to wounding with intent in relation to the teen.
      O’Prey, wearing a grey jumper, admitted possession of a bladed article and possession of cocaine.
      Read more news
      He was remanded in custody ahead of a provisional trial date of February 6 next year.
      Ex-youth boxing star Rico had been watching the Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk fight with pals on August 20 before they moved to a different pub in leafy Altrincham.
      Emergency crews were scrambled to the Goose Green area early the next morning after a fight allegedly broke out.
      Rico was rushed to hospital but sadly couldn’t be saved and was declared dead shortly after.
      Most read in The Sun
      Officers arrested O’Prey and a 20-year-old man on suspicion of murder following the horror.
      The second suspect has been released on bail pending enquiries.
      Fury previously called on the government to “bring higher sentencing for knife crime” after his cousin was “stabbed in the neck”.
      The heavyweight boxing champion wrote on Instagram: “My cousin was murdered last night, stabbed in the neck.
      “This is becoming ridiculous… idiots carry knives. This needs to stop.”
      He added: “ASAP, UK government needs to bring higher sentencing for knife crime.
      “It’s a pandemic and you don’t know how bad it is until one of your own.
      “Life is very precious and it can be taken away very quick. Enjoy every moment.”
      Read More on The Sun
      Steve Egan, 60, chief coach at Jimmy Egan’s Boxing Academy where Rico trained, described him as a “lovely lad” and a “fantastic boxer”.
      He added: “We are all devastated.”
      Tyson Fury paid tribute to his cousin after the horrorCredit: Getty More

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      Benjamin Mendy ‘victim’ claims she was branded fat by England star Raheem Sterling

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      AN alleged victim has told the Benjamin Mendy rape trial she was branded fat by England star Raheem Sterling.The woman said the pair clashed at a party, one of several she attended along with Premier League players.
      An alleged victim has told the Benjamin Mendy rape trial she was branded fat by England star Raheem SterlingCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      Asked if former Man City star Sterling called her fat, the alleged victim responded: ‘Yes’Credit: Reuters
      Asked if former Manchester City star Sterling, 27, called her fat, she responded: “Yes.”
      Her friend was said to have retaliated by calling the star, now with Chelsea, a “four-foot gnome”.
      The incident was referred to at the trial of Man City ace Mendy and his pal Louis Matturie, 41.
      The woman says she was 18 when Matturie groped her at one party.
      Read More on Benjamin Mendy
      Both Mendy, 28, and Matturie deny a string of rape and other charges.
      The trial continues at Chester crown court.
      Most read in Football More

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      Girl ‘screamed “rape, rape” at Benjamin Mendy party before being told to “shut up” by Louis Saha Matturie’

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      A WOMAN told the trial of Premier League footballer Benjamin Mendy she saw and heard a girl screaming “rape, rape” at a party attended by the player.His co-accused, Louis Saha Matturie, then started shouting at the woman to “shut up” as police banged on the door to break up the lockdown-busting gathering last year.
      Premier League footballer Benjamin Mendy is currently on trial after denying multiple rape and sexual assault chargesCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      Mendy’s co-accused Louis Saha Matturie also denies a number of chargesCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      The witness has accused Matturie of sexually assaulting her at a property in Sheffield in late 2016, the jury at Chester Crown Court heard.
      Both Manchester City footballer Mendy and his friend and “fixer” Matturie deny a series of rape and sexual assaults on young women.
      The woman told the jury the party took place at an apartment on Chapel Street near Manchester city centre at the end of January last year.
      She said the young woman had been in an upstairs room with other people, but she did not know who.
      Read More on The Sun
      She told police the woman came out of the room “screaming her head off, shouting, ‘rape, rape'”.
      The witness told officers Matturie, who was downstairs at the time then, “grabbed the girl and told her to shut up”.
      The court heard the police arrived and were banging on the door as the party was during lockdown.
      Officers were asking other party-goers about the girl but she had left the flat before police got in, the witness told the jury.
      Most read in The Sun
      Earlier, the witness told the jury she was 18 and living and working in Sheffield when she began to socialise with footballers and was then sexually assaulted by Matturie.
      Later she began to socialise in Manchester from 2020 onwards and went to numerous parties, some attended by footballers, the “majority” of which took place during lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she said.
      The court heard of a different party at the same apartment on Chapel Street in December 2020 attended by Mendy and his then team-mate, Raheem Sterling.
      She was sat on a sofa and ex-Liverpool, now Chelsea winger, Sterling was passing by and tripped over her foot.
      Lisa Wilding KC, defending Matturie, asked the witness: “He tripped over you and he was aggressive with you?”
      The witness agreed and said Sterling called her “fat”.
      Ms Wilding continued: “And you were cross about that?
      “One of your friends called him a four-foot gnome and properly insulted him and you felt better?”
      The witness replied: “Not cross but confused as to why anyone can be aggressive to someone when tripping over a foot. Non-intentional.”
      Prosecutors have alleged Mendy is a “predator” who “turned the pursuit of women for sex into a game”, while Matturie, his friend and “fixer”, is alleged to have had the job of finding young women for sex.
      Mendy denies seven counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of sexual assault against six young women.
      Matturie of Eccles, Salford, denies six counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault relating to seven young women.
      Both men say if any sex did take place with women or girls it was consensual.
      Most read in Football
      None of the women involved, as sexual assault complainants, can be identified.
      The trial was adjourned until tomorrow morning. More