Rio de Janeiro (AFP)
Brazil's far-right president Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday expressed his support for football star Neymar, in turmoil since the revelation of a charge of rape against him.
"Tonight, I should go to the Brazil match (against Qatar, Brasilia), I hope to take Neymar in my arms before the meeting," the head of state told reporters on the sidelines of a visit to Aragarças, in the state of Goias, near the capital Brasilia.
"He's going through a difficult time, but I think so, Neymar, tonight, I'm with you," he added, about the player claiming his innocence.
Star striker of the Brazilian selection who will play the Copa America at home from June 14 to July 7, Neymar, 27, was accused by a young Brazilian woman of having raped her in a Paris hotel on May 15.
She would have gone to Paris at his invitation, after two months of exchanges on social networks.
The scandal erupted on Saturday and the Paris SG player immediately said he was innocent, claiming to have "fallen into a trap", in a long video posted on Instagram.
In this video, he made public the exchange of intimate messages with the complainant, including nude photos sent to her.
The police opened an investigation because of the dissemination of these photos without his consent, which is prohibited by Brazilian law.
After the election of Jair Bolsonaro in October 2018, Neymar, without openly supporting the far-right president, had hoped that "God uses (Bolsonaro) to help the country".
? 2019 AFP