It seems that the name of Barcelona club has become well known to the court arenas and the corridors of litigation, because of several stories that occurred over the years.
A few hours ago, Mundo Deportivo reported that Barcelona 4 of his players threatened to terminate their contracts that were signed in 2020 on the grounds that they were “signed illegally, which indicates the existence of a crime related to administrative corruption.”
And press reports indicated that Barcelona may take legal measures once morest the former club administration headed by Josep Maria Bartomeu to sign this contract, which means the possibility of reaching the judiciary.
The story dates back to October 2020, when Barcelona announced the renewal of the contracts of 4 of its players, Gerard Pique until 2024, Marc-Andre ter Stegen until 2025, Frenkie de Jong and Clement Lenglet until 2026.
The signing of the aforementioned contracts came one week before the resignation of the Barcelona Board of Directors headed by Josep Maria Bartomeu, following demands to withdraw confidence from him, and according to reports, these contracts caused an increase of 311 million euros in costs in the long term, although the stated goal Her wages were reduced for the mentioned players.
The newspaper pointed out that the contracts signed in 2020 caused the players’ salaries to double, with the exception of Gerard Pique, who agreed to renew without an increase.
Prior to this story, the name of Barcelona was repeated several times in the court yards, which Al-Ain Al-Riyathy sheds light on in the following lines.
Messi Taxes
In 2013, a series of trials began for Lionel Messi, the former captain of Barcelona and the current French star of Paris Saint-Germain, before the Spanish judiciary on charges of tax evasion.
Over the course of many years, Messi appeared before the court on many occasions, and in one case was sentenced to 21 months in prison, suspended.
Messi’s series of trials before the Spanish judiciary ended with the payment of large sums owed to him, in addition to fines.
Russell Prison
In early 2014, Sandro Rosell, the former president of Barcelona, was forced to resign from his position, following entering the courts to stand trial for his involvement in corruption and money laundering cases amounting to $20 million, through one of the companies he owned.
In 2017, a court in the Spanish capital, Madrid, sentenced Rosell to prison, and he remained in prison for two years before being temporarily released.
And the verdict stated that Russell said that he “exceeded the pre-trial detention period estimated by 21 months, which means that he has spent approximately the maximum period stipulated by law, which is two years.”
Barça Jet
In February 2020, Spanish radio station Cadena Ser opened the Barca Jet case file, following it revealed that the Barcelona administration, headed by Bartomeu, had agreed with the public relations company I3 Ventures to create fake accounts on social media, to defend the administration. and criticize anyone who attacks her.
According to what was revealed by the leaks, the aforementioned company used accounts on social media platforms to blame and criticize Barcelona players and club legends, led by Lionel Messi, and even extended to criticize the players’ wives and their families, in an attempt to absolve the administration of all the problems that Barca was suffering from at the time.
According to reports, Barcelona paid 1 million euros annually to I3 Ventures to monitor social media and promote Bartomeu and his board.
Reports indicate that the payments were made through several bills that passed through different departments, and were always less than €200,000, so as not to require formal approval from the board of directors.
This case was one of the reasons for Bartomeu’s resignation from the presidency of Barcelona before the end of 2020, before his arrest and investigation in March 2021.
It is worth noting that the police arrested Bartomeu and two of his assistants following they raided the headquarters of the Catalan club, and the court stated that the judge sought to interrogate them as part of an investigation opened in May 2020 into possible corruption crimes.
Neymar case
Other than his aforementioned case, Rosell is currently being tried for his possible involvement in corruption and fraud related to the deal to include Neymar da Silva from Brazilian club Santos in 2013, in which the current Paris Saint-Germain star and his parents are also facing judicial charges.
It will be Florentino Perez, President Real MadridHe is one of the 18 witnesses in the oral trial that will begin on October 17 before the Sixth Circuit of the Court of Barcelona, before which the Brazilian Investment Fund (DIS) and the Federation of Professional Athletic Unions in Brazil (FAAP) will also appear.
And according to what was confirmed by the Spanish news agency, citing the court order, the President of Real Madrid was summoned to testify on October 18, the second day of the trial, following the Internal Security Department suggested that he be called as a witness in light of his television statements regarding the deal broadcast in February 2016, regarding the value of the deal. Contract with the Brazilian star.
The public prosecutor had demanded a 5-year prison sentence and a fine of 10 million euros for the former Barcelona president for committing corruption and fraud in the Neymar deal.
