Mangaratiba (Brazil) (AFP)
Brazilian justice has opened an investigation into the supposed giant New Year's Eve party organized by Neymar in his villa on the coast of Rio de Janeiro in the midst of a pandemic, the prosecutor's office said on Wednesday.
The entourage of the Brazilian striker of Paris SG deny, while to thicken the mystery, the player, who remained silent, posted a photo of him with a friend on a yacht on the beach of Santa Catarina, in the south from the country.
The Rio prosecutor said in a statement that he had opened an investigation after receiving "several complaints, based on information disclosed by the press, concerning the events organized by the player Neymar".
She asked the star of the Seleção, as well as the condominium where the villa is located and another neighboring residential complex, to provide "urgent" details on "the number of guests, the organization of holidays and any sanitary measures taken ".
An adviser to the player, contacted by AFP, said he did not know whether Neymar would celebrate the New Year 2021 in his luxurious home in Mangaratiba, a seaside resort 130 km from the city of Rio, or whether he would stay at Santa Catarina.
The event, with its 150 to 500 guests, sparked a wave of criticism, as scientists recommend limiting contacts to prevent the pandemic, which has already killed nearly 194,000 in Brazil, from worsening.
But legally, the State of Rio de Janeiro does not prohibit parties in private residences and the town hall of Mangaratiba admitted in a statement "not having the power" to intervene.
AFP flew over the area where the villa is located on Wednesday, without observing any presence in the exterior areas.
© 2020 AFP