Football star Neymar under fire for reportedly ‘hosting 500 guests' at week-long New Year’s Eve party

Rio de Janeiro, Dec 29: Brazil's star footballer Neymar has been slammed online amid reports that the Brazil star hosted a five-day long party over the Christmas period at his mansion near Rio de Janeiro despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Brazilian media reports claimed that the mega bash is said to have started on December 25 and is due to continue until the New Year.

Neymar, who is no stranger to enjoying a party, allegedly even installed soundproofing equipment to try to avoid bothering his neighbours.

It should be noted that Neymar owns a £6million mansion in Mangaratiba with its own helipad and jetty which he bought in October 2016 and first used during a Christmas break two months later.

Meanwhile, Brazil on Sunday registered 18,479 new COVID-19 cases, bringing its national count to 7,484,285, the country's health ministry said.

The state of Sao Paulo, the most populous in the country, has been hardest-hit, with 1,426,176 cases and 45,863 deaths, followed by Rio de Janeiro, with 421,069 cases and 24,918 deaths.

In Rio de Janeiro, the country's main tourist destination, traditional New Year's Eve celebrations on Copacabana Beach, which usually attract millions of visitors each year, have been suspended.

The Latin American nation has the world's second-highest COVID-19 death toll, second only to the United States, and the third-largest caseload, after the United States and India.