Court overturns Neymar's multimillion fine for environmental damage | OneFootball

The Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice has overturned a fine of R$16 million that a local authority had imposed on star player Neymar over alleged environmental damage caused during the construction of an artificial lake at his mansion.

Neymar was fined in July 2023 by the city government of Mangaratiba, a tourist town located about 130 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro, where Brazil’s all-time leading scorer owns a house.

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The allegation

Neymar was accused of “causing pollution” in two bays in the region by dumping construction waste into their waters.

However, the court has now ruled that the fine “must be declared null and void” due to flaws in the investigation, according to a court decision obtained by AFP this Tuesday.

The issuance of the infraction notice was based solely on “photographs and videos submitted” in October 2019 “through an anonymous complaint,” and the environmental authorities failed to verify the information, the judge in charge of the case noted.

In addition, the Santos player’s defense team submitted a technical report certifying that the water quality in the area, on the date of the alleged dumping, was within the permitted limits.

“The investigations were shaped by the enormous media spectacle surrounding the case, solely because it involved the name of the plaintiff, who is a world-famous athlete,” Neymar’s legal team said.

The fine had been suspended since 2024. The 34-year-old forward returned to Brazil in 2025 to play for Santos. Since then, frequent injuries have kept him from playing for the club, and his goal of competing in the 2026 World Cup appears increasingly distant.

With AFP content*

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.