Neymar recently pledged his support for Bolsonaro
Brazilian presidential candidate Lula da Silva has spectacularly claimed Neymar’s support for far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has been motivated by an agreement over a debt ‘pardon’.
Brazil’s elections take place at the end of the month, with Neymar having pledged his support for Bolsonaro’s re-election earlier this month.
Lula on Neymar tax
Lula, who is eyeing his second run as Brazil’s president having previously held office between 2003 and 2010, said on Tuesday that he believed the Paris Saint-Germain forward had been swayed by the promise of a pardon on his tax debt.
“Neymar has the right to choose whoever he wants to be president,” the leftist ex-leader said during a YouTube interview. “I think he is afraid that if I win the election I will find out what Bolsonaro pardoned from his income tax debt.
“I think that’s why he’s afraid of me,” he added, laughing.
“Obviously, Bolsonaro made a deal with his (Neymar’s) father,” Lula said, referring to a ruling of a tax evasion trial in Brazil involving the PSG forward.
“He now has an income tax problem in Spain, as well as the charges he faces in Barcelona for alleged irregularities in his 2013 club transfer.”
The first-round election was held on October 2, putting Lula as the frontrunner to reclaim the presidency.
It remains to be seen if Neymar’s support for the Bolsonaro influences enough voters for him to extend his term.
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