On Monday, Brazilian officials announced that soccer star Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior has been fined ($3.33 million) for violating environmental regulations during the construction of his coastal property in southeastern Brazil.
Late last month, local authorities first suspected that the luxurious construction was breaking the law by illegally transporting freshwater sources, rock, and sand. On Monday, they confirmed the suspicion. Neymar’s spokesperson refused to say anything about the situation.
His place of residence is in Mangaratiba, a small city in the Rio de Janeiro state of Brazil. The environmental group in Mangaratiba issued a statement on Monday saying that violations were committed “in the construction of an artificial lake at the mansion.”
In addition to the penalties, the state’s environmental protection agency, civil police, and possibly even the attorney general’s office will look into the case.
The Mangaratiba city council imposed four fines for “environmental violations in the construction of an artificial lake at the player’s mansion,” according to a statement from the council office.
“The sanctions add up to more than 16 million reais,” the statement said, a sum set out by the prosecutor’s office in Mangaratiba, a tourist area around 130 kilometers (80 miles) from Rio where the Paris Saint-Germain star has his mansion.”
“Dozens of infractions” detected, the authorities listed “carrying out work subject to environmental control without authorization,” capture and diversion of river water without authorization, and “removal of land and suppression of vegetation without authorization,” part of the statement read.
Officials closed the site and instructed all activity to be stopped, but Brazilian media reported that Neymar held a party there and went swimming in the lake.
Neymar has not played since February, and his future with PSG is in question. The 31-year-old strikerhad right ankle surgery in Doha back in March, and he is still recovering.
