The record-breaking transfer of Neymar (31) from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain has become the partial focus of the trial of, Jean-Martial Ribes, the former communications director for the French club.
Ribes left his role with the club in 2022 for personal reasons after handing in his resignation in March of that year, at the time he was considered a key member of the club hierarchy.
Indicted since the first of December last year, the ex-employee is alleged by the French justice system to have used his position within PSG’s hierarchy to obtain sensitive information for the club, as well as for his own personal benefit.
This investigation has been carried out since September 2022 by investigating magistrates and centres around what they have referred to as an ‘influence peddling’ operation that they attribute to Ribes.
However, as revealed in a report by Libération, the French courts are now investigating whether the former communications director allegedly used his position to receive favours from the government to help PSG sign Neymar. This is something that he strongly denies, as his lawyer explained, his client has ‘Never offered anything in return for the slightest service.’
The discovery of hundreds of messages
What triggered the courts to begin investigating these new allegations was the discovery of a phone said to have belonged to Ribes during his time working for Les Parisiens.
The phone seized during a police search of the club’s head office, contained within it hundreds of SMS and WhatsApp messages from the former communications director, that the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) argues warrants further investigation.
In particular, they are interested in the correspondence between Ribes and a former vice president of the National Assembly, Hugues Renson.
The relationship revealed in these messages between Ribes and Renson appears to be noteworthy to the IGPN as they allege that it could suggest there was government involvement in the 2017 transfer of Neymar to PSG.
The relationship between Ribes and Renson
At the time of Neymar’s transfer, Renson was a newly elected MP for Paris’s 13th constituency. This was a role that he performed alongside his subsequent duty as vice president of the National Assembly from 2017 until 2022.
The court documents have revealed that the former vice president had developed long-lasting communications with Ribes that had been maintained for at least ten years which, Libération allege, had been cultivated with the intention of Renson being recruited by the club.
It’s reported that Renson wrote to the former PSG employee in 2013 that if the club were ‘Looking for someone for football as well as for the construction of its large multi-sports club, close to power, passionate about sport, with the address book of that of a former head of state, I am still a candidate!’
A proposal that was then followed up by the former MP when in 2020 he was alleged to have messaged Ribes that he was ready to ‘Give up his mandate’ to work at the club.
Throughout this period according to court documents, revealed in Libération’s report, the elected official allegedly received invitations to attend matches as well as experience the box seats at the Parc des Princes for either himself or those around him (including family members, deputies, and ministers).
The 220 Million Transfer
In the days leading up to the Neymar transfer, Libération claim, that there was significant communication between the two men surrounding the subject. It is alleged in the article that there were increased discussions over how the transfer would function.
Barcelona were unwilling to sell their player at any price to PSG, but as is the requirement in Spain, all players have within their contracts a release clause. Neymar’s was set at €220 million which was a price considered high enough to ward off any interest.
This quirk in Spanish contracts provided Les Parisiens with the means to buy the star Brazilian without ever having to enter negotiations with the Spanish club. However, it also created questions that needed to be figured out.
The problem was that there was very little precedent for how this would function legally within France, as this type of clause does not exist within French law.
The mechanics to which the release clause works are somewhat convoluted. The purchasing team do not pay the other team directly. Instead, the employee has to pay the lump sum of their release clause to their employer, which releases them from their contract. The purchasing club can then reimburse the player.
This created an issue as the transaction of reimbursing the player with the cost of the release clause could be considered as an advance on their salary, and would therefore be subject to tax. However, the Ministry of Public Accounts ultimately decided against considering this situation through this lens.
‘Sporting Deal of the Century’
What the investigation wants to now know is whether the former communications director had an alleged role in convincing the ministry in coming to this decision.
On the 24th of July 2017, just over a week before Neymar’s transfer was finalised, Ribes has been reported to have invited the newly elected MP to a meeting at the Costes Hotel in Paris to discuss ‘A PSG subject.’
Renson is reported to have replied that he could not attend the meeting, but later that evening wrote to say he had just spoken to ‘Gérald Darmanin,’ the then Minister of Public Accounts. Renson continued that ‘[Darmanin] has the thing in mind, and tells me that he is working on it.’
The following day, an ‘ultra confidential memo’ was allegedly circulated between the two men, with the police writing in their report that ‘In this document, it is requested that the financing of the buy-out clause by PSG is not subject to French social security and does not bear income tax.’
Ribes according to reports writes to the former vice president about how ‘They must be able to accept that for us to finalise,’ what he refers to in correspondence as, the ‘Sporting deal of the century.’
L’Équipe writes, that on the 26th of July, the administrative discussions seemed to be progressing well, and that Ribes was pleased with the outcome of a meeting, that the article says, could have taken place within the Ministry.
The then communications director allegedly sent another ‘ultra confidential’ memo to the MP which according to the investigators, relates the view that the ‘elements and explanations provided (by the club), the administrations will consider the operation as a transfer (from a tax status).’
According to Libération, the next day Renson messaged Ribes to state that he ‘Was with [Darmanin]. We talked. He considers it good. The schedule seems set.’ Before adding ‘What matters is that the documents we mentioned are produced. They will protect.’
A week later on the 3rd of August, the deal was finally complete. It is then alleged that three days later, the former vice president, Renson, was invited to the Parc des Princes for the first day of the season. His children were player escorts and his son received a signed photo of Neymar for his birthday.
What now?
This is still an ongoing case and the outcome will yet to be seen. It is now up to the investigation to not only prove that Ribes ran what they referred to as an ‘influence peddling’ operation but that he also allegedly received favours from the government in order to help his employer sign Neymar.
Ribes has yet to have his chance to respond to these allegations within the judicial system. However, in response to the news revealed in Libération’s article, his lawyer, Romain Vanni stated ‘We contest the interpretation of the messages coming from [his] phone.’ Continuing, ‘Especially since those concerned had not been able to explain these facts on the date of my client’s indictment.’
His lawyer also referred to the alleged investigation into the Neymar transfer as being ‘A non issue. Jean-Martial Ribes was never part of any meeting related to the economic point of Neymar’s transfer.’
The former vice president of the National Assembly, Hugues Renson, was contacted by various news outlets but refused to provide a comment on the allegations.
Finally, a source close to the negotiations who wished to remain anonymous, noted to France 24, that even if these allegations were true then there was ‘nothing wrong with a company approaching a government to discuss the tax treatment of a significant transaction.’