Barcelona Face Further Tax Evasion Charges Regarding Neymar Transfer
Barcelona and former president Sandro Rosell will be forced to face further investigation into their acquisition of Neymar from Brazilian club Santos last year.ย ย ย ย
Tim Hanlon of Reuters reports the sides are expected in court on June 13 to provide all of the information they have regarding the transfer agreement. It was originally reported as a โฌ57 million deal before being revealed as closer to โฌ100 million.
The report includes part of the court order regarding possible tax evasion:
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"They will be asked to "quantify the amount withheld by FC Barcelona for the income payable in relation to the professional athlete Neymar Da Silva Santos for Income Tax of Non-Residents (IRNR) and (regular) income tax," according to a court order.
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It's also noted that Barcelona made further payment in February in an attempt to rectify the situation. Clearly that wasn't enough to remove the issue from the court system.
Rosell stepped down from his post as Barca president in January as a result of the situation. He maintained Barcelona did nothing wrong throughout the process but decided to step down with hope of helping keep the club's image safe.
The Press Association, via The Guardian, provided part of his exit comments:
"The board of directors is a team. And this team leads a project that has brought the club great success. I don't want unfair attacks to negatively affect their management or the image of the club. This is why I think my time here has come to an end.
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At this point, it's unclear what the next steps may be as Barcelona attempt to move past the issue. Further information should be provided following the court appearance, at which time there could finally be a light at the end of the tunnel.
The situation is a cautionary tale for teams around the globe when it comes to transfers. Although the focus is usually on the player being moved, the clubs are still operating as businesses, which makes accurate details about the deal important.
Barcelona have found that out the hard way despite stating they did nothing wrong.
