Brazilian soccer star Neymar accused of rape, player says he was set up

A Brazilian police document says an unidentified woman has accused soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior of raping her in Paris last month. After the revelation, the player used Instagram to publish a 7-minute video that includes WhatsApp messages he says he exchanged with the accuser in a friendly way days later.

The striker known as Neymar calls the incident "a setup" and insists it is an attempt of extortion against him.

The document obtained by The Associated Press on Saturday says the incident took place May 15 at 8:20 p.m. in a hotel. The woman went to police Friday in Sao Paulo.

Sao Paulo state's Public Security Secretariat, which oversees police, confirmed in a statement that the complaint was registered, but did not offer details.

"There was a relationship between a man and a woman between four walls. On the next day nothing happened," the striker said. "I hope investigators read the messages and see what happened."

The first messages in Neymar's video are dated March 11. The video includes multiple erotic photos and messages he said he exchanged with the accuser. The last date that appears on the video is of May 16, with no reference to the alleged crime.

Earlier his father and agent, Neymar da Silva Santos, said his son had consensual sexual relations with the accuser and was blackmailed by her lawyer after they broke up.

"This is a tough moment. If we can't show the truth quickly it will be a snowball. If we have to show Neymar's WhatsApp messages and the conversations with this lady, we will," Santos told TV Band.

Neymar's father said he has evidence that his son was blackmailed, including pictures and witnesses, but did not show either in the interview. He also said his son is already preparing his defense for a legal case if needed.

The woman says she and the Brazil star met in France after exchanging Instagram messages.

The Paris police and the city's prosecutors' office said through spokesmen that they were unaware of any complaint.

She told police a representative of the Paris Saint-Germain player named Gallo allegedly bought her tickets to Paris and booked her a hotel room. She said Neymar arrived drunk at the hotel.

The woman described to police that they "touched each other, but in a given moment Neymar became aggressive and, with violence, had sexual intercourse against the victim's will."

The text also says the woman left Paris two days later and said she did not file her complaint in Paris because she was shaken.

The police document says the woman will go through medical exams as part of an investigation.

Neymar is in Brazil preparing for the Copa America starting next week. He arrived at the Granja Comary training ground outside Rio de Janeiro 10 days after the alleged incident.

Brazil players had a day off Saturday. Neymar left the training ground with other teammates in his helicopter earlier in the day.

On Sunday, an event named after the player is expected to take place in Rio, but it's unclear if he will show.

The 27-year-old Brazilian has had problems on and off the field. One week before the rape accusation, he lost Brazil's national team's captaincy for the Copa America to veteran Dani Alves. Coach Tite did not lay out the reasons for the move, but he was under pressure to punish Neymar for his disciplinary problems at Paris Saint-Germain.

After PSG lost the French Cup final to tiny Rennes on April 27, Neymar had an altercation with a fan and publicly criticized his teammates for not listening to him enough.

Fan love for the player has also been stained because of politics after his showing of support to far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has made a series of racist, misogynistic and anti-gay statements.

(NBC News)