Tite vows not to judge Neymar amid rape allegations

Brazil coach Tite has said he will not judge Neymar amid allegations the Paris Saint-Germain forward raped a woman in a French hotel last month.

Brazilian police are investigating the accusation after the woman filed a police report in Sao Paulo on May 31.

Tite on Monday said he preferred to leave the matter with investigators but added that he had no reason to doubt his star player's innocence, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I know this is a personal matter and there needs to be time for people to judge the facts. I won't allow myself to judge the facts," Tite told a news conference in Teresopolis, near here, where the national team is preparing for the Copa America starting this month.

"What I can say to you is that I've been with Neymar for three years and in personal matters, between me and him, he is loyal and truthful."

The woman told police that Neymar raped her in a Paris hotel on May 15 after paying for her to fly from Sao Paulo to the French capital. They had met on Instagram.

Neymar is also under investigation after publishing explicit images of the woman contained in private WhatsApp messages. The 27-year-old said he released details of the conversation to prove his innocence.

In Brazil, it is a crime punishable by one to five years in prison to offer, share, sell, distribute or publish images and/or videos with sexual content without the consent of the victim.

The Cybercrimes Department said in a statement on Sunday that it would look into "the alleged posting of a video by Neymar" to his Instagram account in which he revealed to his nearly 120 million followers conversations with the woman.

The Copa America will be played in Brazil from June 14 to July 7. The hosts will play Bolivia, Venezuela and Peru in the competition's group stage.

--IANS

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