Barcelona President Sandro Rosell has quit in the wake of a brewing controversy involving the transfer of Barcelona superstar Neymar.
Signing Neymar, who is almost certain to be a star of this summer’s World Cup in Brazil, should have been the greatest triumph of Rosell’s presidency. Instead, it has been his downfall. Rosell resigned last week, after a judge admitted a lawsuit against him following a report from the public prosecutor that asked the courts to investigate a possible case of “simulated contracts”.
He departed insisting that Barcelona had done nothing illegal. But his claim that signing Neymar from Brazilian club Santos had cost “€57.1m full stop” has come under intense scrutiny. The day after his resignation, Barcelona’s new president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, admitted that the total cost of securing him, which is not the same as a “transfer fee”, was in fact €86.2m.
A further €44m in salary will be payable during his contract. That is surprisingly low. The investigation will now focus on the €29.1m difference and the beneficiaries of a €40m payment to Neymar’s father’s company, N&N.
