Police: Rape claim against Neymar dismissed due to lack of evidence

Brazilian police said Tuesday there is a lack of evidence to file rape charges against Paris Saint-Germain footballer Neymar.

"We checked all the possibilities. I did not see enough elements to indict," Sao Paulo police investigator Juliana Lopes Bussacos said, according to Mauricio Savarese of the Associated Press.

Prosecutors have 15 days to decide whether to uphold Bussacos' decision or to charge Neymar with rape.

Neymar was accused of sexual assault by a Brazilian woman, Najila Trindade, who said that he forced her to have sex in a Paris hotel room in May. Neymar denied the accusation, insisting that their relationship was consensual.

In an Instagram video, he posted private chats and intimate photos of their exchanges. As a result, police opened a separate inquiry to determine whether he violated any laws by releasing the content on social media.

Police are also investigating whether Trindade filed a false report, according to Sao Paulo police director Albano David Fernandes.