Neymar Has Assets Frozen in Tax Evasion Case: Details, Reaction

A Brazilian court froze nearly $50 million of assets held by Barcelona superstar Neymar on Friday because of allegations of tax evasion.

Rob Harris of the Associated Press revealed the court's decision. The AP's Mauricio Savarese noted a Sao Paulo federal court claimed Neymar evaded nearly $16 million in taxes between 2011 and 2013.

Judge Carlos Muta stated the Brazil international, who joined Barca from Santos in 2013, "is solely responsible for the income declaration," according to Savarese. It is alleged the forward had only declared assets of around $5 million.

However, the player's parents claimed the judge possesses an "incorrect understanding" of their son's earnings, adding: "Neymar did not avoid paying taxes, and neither did any of our companies," per BBC News.

The AP report stated the assets frozen by the Brazilian court also included those of Neymar's family and "related businesses." No further information was provided about the investigation.

This is the second recent tax case to involve a Barca forward. Ashifa Kassam of the Guardian reported in June that Lionel Messi faces trial for tax fraud between 2007 and 2009 despite his father denying the player having done wrong.

No timetable for the Neymar case was announced, and it's yet to be seen how it could impact the player's availability to the Barcelona squad. The player has yet to comment on the matter, nor has his case been presented to the court, according to his father.