Official Statement from NR Sports
In an effort to combat the poor journalism practiced by Diego Garcia of *Folha de São Paulo* regarding the article published today (November 8, 2018), Neymar Sport e Marketing SS Ltda (NR SPORTS) condemns the false reports published by Folha de São Paulo under the headline “Praia Grande Includes Companies Owned by Neymar’s Parents on Its List of Debtors.”
The article contains a number of incorrect, inaccurate, and, above all, malicious statements regarding NR Sports and its partners.
1. That the company owes ISS in the District of São Vicente, which is NOT TRUE. The São Vicente City Government improperly collected ISS on an activity that is not subject to ISS. And as is the right of every taxpayer in our country, the company exercised its right to appeal the erroneous collection by the São Vicente City Government and obtained an emergency injunction against the collection; in other words, NN Consultoria has no outstanding debt.
2. Regarding the claim that athlete Neymar Jr. receives 15% of all contracts entered into by NR Sports as compensation for the assignment of his image rights: THIS IS NOT TRUE! Even considering that this arrangement pertains solely to the parties involved (NR Sports and Neymar Jr.), we would like to clarify that NR Sports acquired the rights to commercialize his image for a fixed price and a specified term, with payment to the athlete Neymar Jr. made in advance of the transfer of these rights, regardless of whether the company enters into any particular commercial agreement, and also compensating him for any hours of work he may perform;
3. Regarding the debt owed to the Praia Grande City Government for non-payment of property tax (IPTU), it should be noted that NR Sports—whose partners were born in the Baixada Santista region and whose business operations are established there (offices, residences, investments, and social initiatives)— is fully engaged with the city. The company clarifies that it owns rental properties in the city and is aware of the difficulties faced by many Brazilians, noting that its tenants are also experiencing this temporary situation. Therefore, as a way to help them during these times, we are not demanding payment of their obligations regarding the homes they occupy. In this way, we can contribute to the continued use of the properties, as well as to their financial recovery, even if this temporarily results in a “loss” in the form of the debt being recorded as an active municipal debt, since the properties—despite being occupied by third parties—remain in the company’s name.
We would therefore like to reiterate our belief in the people of Praia Grande and the Baixada Santista region, where we will continue to invest—and, above all, as a Brazilian company, owned by Brazilian citizens and run by Brazilians. In doing so, we are promoting the country’s image to the world, because we love our city, our country, and have hope for the future.
As our contribution, we will combat any abuse, violation, or wrongdoing committed against any of our companies, partners, products, or employees, as this is how we expect the upstanding citizens of this country to conduct themselves. Therefore, we WILL NOT TOLERATE this type of information that the journalist from *Folha de São Paulo*, without any verification, made available to his readers.
