Neymar in trouble over intimate pictures

Rio de Janeiro - Such an offense carries a maximum five-year jail term

Brazil's Neymar gave a statement at a Rio de Janeiro police station on Thursday in a probe into whether he broke the law by posting intimate pictures of a woman who accused him of rape.
The football megastar - full name Neymar da Silva Santos Junior - went to the station in an attempt to defend himself, sitting in a wheelchair after spraining his ankle the night before in a pre-Copa America friendly that has ruled him out of the tournament.
As he made his way out through a media scrum after giving his statement to police, the star striker expressed gratitude to his fans for their support.
"I felt very loved," he said.
The injury to the world's most expensive player is a huge blow to host nation Brazil's preparations for the South American continental championship, which begins on June 14.
Neymar hobbled off the field in the 20th minute of Brazil's 2-0 win over Qatar in Brasilia on Wednesday. A large ice pack had been strapped to his lower right leg.
Neymar's club, Paris Saint-Germain, tweeted Thursday that the player "suffered a severe sprain of the outer lateral ligament of his right ankle," and will be "reassessed by the club's medical department within the next 72 hours."
The injury caps a troubled season on and off the field for Neymar, who faces accusations that he raped Najila Trindade Mendes de Souza, in a Paris hotel in May.
"We have testified to clear up everything we needed to. We have full confidence that we will prove my client is innocent," his lawyer Maira Freita said.
Neymar denies the claims. In an attempt to defend himself, he published intimate WhatsApp messages and images of his encounter with Trindade on social media - without her consent, possibly breaking Brazilian law.
Such an offense carries a maximum five-year jail term.
Just before the late Wednesday game the SBT TV network aired an interview with Trindade in which she described suffering "aggression together with rape" at the hands of the player.
Sponsors are not calm. Mastercard canceled a Neymar-themed ad campaign that was to be broadcast during the Copa America, Spanish media reported, while Nike expressed its "deep concern" on Monday.
Neymar's injury also leaves a question mark over the future career of a player who cost Paris Saint-Germain a world-record fee of 222 million euros ($248 million) when he moved from Barcelona in 2017.
Ankle problems ruled him out of the second half of the just-completed Ligue 1 season in France. When Neymar did finally return to the team, he played as PSG suffered a shock defeat to Rennes in the French Cup final - and afterward lashed out at a supporter in the stands.