According to a report by Punch on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, former Santos president Luis Álvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro has made fresh allegations about the negotiations surrounding Brazilian football star Neymar’s move to Barcelona in 2013, claiming the deal involved unusual demands from the player’s father, Neymar Sr.

Ribeiro alleged that the negotiations included requests for complimentary coffee, private air travel and an alleged orgy at a hotel in London’s Piccadilly area.

According to British tabloid Daily Star, Ribeiro made the claims while recounting his experiences dealing with Neymar Sr during the negotiations that eventually took the forward from Santos to the Spanish giants.

Neymar completed his move to Barcelona in 2013 in a deal that attracted considerable attention because of its financial arrangements and the involvement of his father, who played a prominent role in managing the player’s career and negotiating his contracts.

Reflecting on his dealings with Neymar Sr, Ribeiro claimed the player's father frequently expected Santos to cover expenses associated with meetings and other arrangements.

“The €90 million included coffees for Neymar’s father, as well as an orgy in a hotel in Piccadilly, London, because Neymar’s father was looking to claim everything,” Ribeiro was quoted as saying.

The allegation concerning the hotel incident has not been independently established, and the reported comments do not demonstrate that such an event formed part of Barcelona’s official transfer agreement.

Ribeiro also claimed he paid for approximately 200 cups of coffee consumed by Neymar Sr during their meetings.

The former Santos president further alleged that a private aircraft was arranged to transport Neymar Sr to Florianópolis so he could watch Brazil’s national team play.

He also criticised what he described as demands for expensive travel arrangements in subsequent contracts, claiming Neymar Sr wanted first-class flights for himself and business-class tickets for two advisers when travelling to watch his son play away from home.

The allegations have renewed attention on the financial negotiations surrounding one of the most controversial transfers in modern football.

Neymar’s move from Santos to Barcelona became the subject of a prolonged legal dispute over the transfer fee and payments made to parties connected to the agreement.

Although the transfer was initially reported to be worth around €57 million, subsequent investigations and legal proceedings raised questions about its true financial value. Barcelona later acknowledged that the overall cost was substantially higher than the initial figure reported.

Brazilian investment group DIS, which held economic rights linked to Neymar while he played for Santos, accused the footballer, his father and other parties of corruption and fraud.

DIS argued that it was entitled to 40 per cent of the relevant transfer-related rights but alleged that the structure of the Barcelona deal had deprived it of money it was owed.

The dispute also involved former Barcelona presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu, alongside other individuals connected to the transfer negotiations.

Reports surrounding the deal indicated that Neymar Sr received substantial payments from Barcelona. These included payments associated with a pre-contract agreement reportedly signed in 2011, as well as additional sums when the transfer was completed in 2013.

However, the financial arrangements became a major point of contention, with prosecutors and the parties involved disputing the legality and nature of certain payments.

In October 2022, the Spanish prosecutor withdrew its corruption and fraud allegations in the case. In December of that year, the Barcelona court acquitted Neymar and the other defendants of the charges, bringing the criminal proceedings to a close.