Brazilian football star Neymar has reportedly become embroiled in another legal dispute after a former personal chef filed a labour lawsuit against him, alleging she was forced to work in inhumane conditions.
According to Brazilian outlet Metrópoles, citing court documents, the woman claims she was subjected to extremely demanding working conditions at Neymar’s luxury mansion in Mangaratiba, a coastal town in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
The lawsuit states that the chef was responsible not only for preparing meals for Neymar but also for around 150 of his friends and associates who frequently stayed at the property. Because of this, she was sometimes required to work shifts lasting up to 16 hours.
Although her employment contract reportedly specified working hours from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM between Monday and Thursday and from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Fridays, she claims she was often forced to continue working until 11:00 PM or even midnight. She also alleged that she was regularly required to work during weekends despite this not being part of her agreement.
The former employee further stated that the physically demanding nature of the job led to long-term health problems. According to the complaint, prolonged periods of standing and carrying heavy supermarket bags — including up to 10 kilograms of meat and groceries — caused her to develop back pain and hip inflammation.
In the lawsuit, the woman is seeking around 262,000 Brazilian reais in unpaid wages, overtime payments, medical expenses and other compensation. Court documents reportedly claim she was sometimes unable to take a lunch break and had to continue working during that period, which would violate labour laws.
The case has been filed in a labour court in Rio de Janeiro. Neymar, who currently plays for his boyhood club Santos FC, has not yet made any official statement regarding the allegations.
