Spanish judge orders Barcelona to stand trial over Neymar transfer

Things are going well for Barcelona on the pitch, but the club continues to be plagued by its controversial signing of Neymar.

On Wednesday, Jose de la Mata, who recently succeeded investigative magistrate Pablo Ruz in leading the probe into the real cost of Neymar's transfer from Santos, ruled that there is enough evidence to begin a trial against Barcelona for alleged tax evasion.

Furthermore, club president Josep Maria Bartameu and his predecessor, Sandro Rosell, have 10 days to respond to Spain's National Court. Both were indicted for tax fraud and fraudulent administration in mid-March.

Barcelona insist they paid no more than €57 million, while Ruz claimed Neymar cost €83.3 million and the Catalan club hid the real price in a tangle of contracts. If Ruz is correct, Barcelona have avoided paying about €13 million in taxes, although Spanish news agency Efe states the club could face a fine of more than €22 million if found guilty.

A trial date has yet to be set.