Neymar in trouble again

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s Neymar gave a statement at a Rio de Janeiro police station 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.

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.