'Absurd Lie': Football Star Neymar Attacks Nike Over Sexual Assault Investigation Into Him

Brazil and PSG star Neymar has attacked Nike over a sexual assault investigation into him. The company said it had stopped working with Neymar because he "refused to cooperate in a good faith investigation" into allegations against him. The athlete claims that Nike’s statement is "an absurd lie".

On Thursday the sports giant released a statement, saying it would be inappropriate for the company to make an accusatory statement about Neymar without being able to provide "supporting facts".

A spokeswoman for the athlete said he denies the accusations of sexual assault and emphasised that the two parted ways in 2020 due to financial disagreements.

What Are the Allegations?

Nike said the alleged incident involved one of its employees and occurred in 2016. The woman, who has not been named, informed the company about it in 2018. Back then she did not want Nike to launch an investigation. In 2019, however, she changed her mind and gave the green light to a probe, with inconclusive results, Nike said. It is for that reason the sportswear giant reportedly asked Neymar to cooperate with them.

This is not the first time the world’s most expensive football player has been accused of sexual assault. In 2019, a Brazilian woman claimed she was raped by Neymar. The unmarried athlete recorded a video during which he showed messages the two exchanged and said their relationship was amicable. He then accused the woman of extortion. The ensuing investigation was dropped due to a lack of evidence. Police then charged the woman with fraud and extortion. She was later acquitted.