The Brazilian Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the opening of an investigation into the alleged New Year’s Eve party organized by footballer Neymar in Rio de Janeiro, when the pandemic has already killed almost 194,000 people in the country.
The Rio de Janeiro prosecutor said in a statement on Wednesday that he had opened an investigation after receiving “several complaints, based on information released by the press, about events organized by the player Neymar”.
The prosecutor asked the star of the Brazilian team and striker of Paris Saint-Germain, as well as the condominium where the house is located and another residential complex nearby, to provide “urgent details” about “the number of guests, organization of parties and any health measures taken ”.
An aide to the player, contacted by the France-Presse news agency (AFP), said he did not know whether Neymar would celebrate New Year’s Day at the house in Mangaratiba, a beach resort 130 kilometers from Rio de Janeiro, or if he would stay in Santa Catarina.
The player, who has remained silent until now, published a photo with a friend on a yacht on Santa Catarina beach, in the south of the country.
The event, which would have between 150 to 500 invited guests, sparked a wave of criticism at a time when experts recommend that contacts be limited to prevent the pandemic from worsening.
Legally, the state of Rio de Janeiro does not prohibit parties in private homes and the municipality of Mangaratiba admitted in a statement that it “does not have the power” to intervene.
