RIO DE JANEIRO, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Brazil coach Tite said Monday he would not judge Neymar amid allegations the Paris Saint-Germain forward raped a woman in a French hotel last month.
Brazilian police are investigating the accusation after the woman filed a police report in Sao Paulo last Friday.
Tite said he preferred to leave the matter with investigators but added that he had no reason to doubt his star player's innocence.
"I know this is a personal matter and there needs to be time for people to judge the facts. I won't allow myself to judge the facts," Tite told a news conference in Teresopolis, near Rio de Janeiro, where Brazil are preparing for the Copa America starting this month.
"What I can say to you is that I've been with Neymar for three years and in personal matters, between me and him, he is loyal and truthful."
The woman told police that Neymar raped her in a Paris hotel on May 15. She said Neymar paid for her to fly from Sao Paulo to the French capital after the pair met on Instagram.
Neymar is also under investigation after publishing explicit images of the woman contained in private WhatsApp messages. The 27-year-old said he released details of the conversation to prove his innocence.
Two police officers were seen inside Brazil's Granja Comary training complex on Monday afternoon. Neither the police nor the Brazilian Football Confederation responded to requests for comment.
Neymar's father defended his son's decision to publish the conversation with the woman.
"I prefer an internet crime than a rape crime," Neymar da Silva Santos told TV Band. "He preserved his image, his name. He needed to defend himself quickly. It is best to be true and show what happened. We knew of the blackmailing, but not of the guts to go to police in a situation like this."
The Copa America will be played in Brazil from June 14 to July 7. The hosts will play Bolivia, Venezuela and Peru in the competition's group stage.
