Neymar hit with new fine over project at Brazil mansion

RIO DE JANEIRO – Environmental authorities in Brazil fined football star Neymar a second time on Saturday after their orders to halt an unlicensed construction project at his mansion outside Rio de Janeiro were ignored, officials said.

The Brazil and Paris Saint-Germain star was already facing a fine of at least 5 million reais ($1.4 million) after authorities found “various environmental infractions” on Thursday at his luxury property in Mangaratiba, where workers were building an artificial lake and beach.

The authorities cordoned off the site and ordered a halt to all activity, but Brazilian media reports said Neymar had instead thrown a party there and gone swimming in the lake.

The city government said environmental inspectors had returned on Saturday and found “activity violating the restraining order and committing further environmental infractions”.

It said Neymar would have to pay an additional unspecified fine, with “the total value to be calculated after a full investigation,” which it expected to conclude this week.

Inspectors found the project diverted a waterway, extracted water from a river, undertook major excavation and landscaping, and used beach sand, all without the necessary permits.

Neymar’s representatives in Brazil have not responded to AFP’s requests for comment.

Neymar bought the mansion in 2016. According to Brazilian media, it sits on 10,000 sq m of land and includes a helipad, spa and gym.

The 31-year-old is recovering from an operation on his right ankle, which he underwent in Doha in March.

The striker has not played since February, and doubts have arisen whether he will remain at PSG.

Reports out of the Middle East have suggested the Brazilian could be the next big name to join the Saudi Pro League, potentially following in the footsteps of Ballon d’Or winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

Noted Saudi journalist Ahmed Al-Ajlan said Al-Hilal are about to confirm the arrival of an internationally renowned star this week that “will be the talk of the world”.

He said on pan-Arab channel MBC 1 that the club will recruit a player “who will be the bomb of the season and the talk of the world”.

He added that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which has taken control of Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Alhi, “will provide each of the four clubs with three star players”.

Following that revelation, beIN Sports’ Khaled Waleed tweeted that Al-Hilal’s negotiations “are with the same player that Barcelona wants”, leading to further speculation that it could be Neymar, especially since Lionel Messi has turned down Barca and Saudi overtures to sign for Inter Miami in the United States.

Following Messi’s Al-Hilal snub, CBS Sports reported that representatives of the club went to Paris to enquire about Neymar.

The US outlet said the contract would “be comparable to those of Ronaldo, whose total package is believed to be around €200 million (US$294.6 million) a year”.

It has been widely reported that PSG would like to offload Neymar, although RMC Sport have said he is uninterested in a Saudi move. AFP