Barcelona president Sandro Rosell could step down following Neymar transfer lawsuit

 

A still of FC Barcelona President Sandro Rosell and Neymar (R) shaking hands as they pose for the media during the official presentation as a new player of the FC Barcelona sports complex.

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell could be looking to step down from his position, according to reputable Barcelona-based Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia.

It has been suggested that Rosell is ready to resign rather than get involved any more in the controversy than he already is.

Toni Freixa, the spokesman for the club’s board of directors spoke to the paper and agreed that the situation in hand could have been handled better.

“It was a huge mistake to not clearly explain where the €57 million went.  Our biggest mistake was to present a player that cost €57 million and not say clearly where the money was going.  It’s strange to not say where the money is going.”

However, he was adamant about Neymar‘s transfer fee.

“The remaining fees are player compensation formulas, in which there is no misdemeanor.  These are formulas used by many clubs to, for example, pay the companies of the players.

“The decision of the judge, as he indicated, is that we didn’t give him any comparisons, which is because if we didn’t feel we didn’t do anything wrong, we have no defense.  We don’t feel like Rosell did anything wrong.”

Rosell has been accused of misappropriation of funds, an offence outlined in Article 252 of the Penal Code in Spain. If proved guilty, it can lead to imprisonment for anywhere between one and eight years.

Spanish High Court judge Pablo Ruz has agreed to hear the case, but does not believe that the defendant, Rosell, has to be called in immediately.

The judge stated that the documentation provided by Barcelona “provides sufficient grounds” to investigate the facts and “could be indicative of contractual simulation allegedly committed by the signatories” of the deal. The plaintiff believes that the financial magnitude of the signing was hidden from Barça’s members.

The judge will ask FIFA for documentation on the signing and the player for the contract which he signed with the company N&N – owned by his father – by which his rights were transferred, reported Marca.