FC Barcelona have reacted furiously over new tax fraud claims against the club, it’s former president Sandro Rosell as well as his successor Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Read: Barca President Accused Of €2.8m Fraud In Neymar Deal
Spanish authorities accused Bartomeu of further tax fraud, amounting to €2.8 million, after Rosell had to resign following major irregularities over Neymar’s transfer fee.
Following the recent accusations, the Catalan giants released the following statement on the club’s official website:
“FC Barcelona wishes to express to its members its surprise, indignation and total disagreement with the public prosecutor’s petition for the Club and its former president Sandro Rosell to face trial for presumed misdemeanors in the transfer of the player Neymar da Silva Santos Jr.
“In recent months, FC Barcelona has declared its innocence, and has provided all of the documentation requested on numerous occasions and which has been supported by various judicial testimonies. The Club has also been advised at all times by specialists in tax law.
“With respect to the specific request by the Public Prosecutors Office to charge President Josep Maria Bartomeu for a supposed tax offence in 2014, FC Barcelona also wishes to declare its utter disagreement.”
The club explains further that the claims against Bartomeu’s involvement in the final payment of a €5 million subfee for Neymar are a misinterpretation.
The fee was paid just eight days after the change in presidency, but was an act which had already been agreed before Bartomeu took over. That’s why the club already submitted a preventative, complimentary tax return to cover for any misinterpretation.
Finally, Barcelona states that the club had no intention to breach the law and the club will continue “defending its own interests and those of its members”.
“Likewise, FC Barcelona shall not allow any action to tarnish the Club’s image or to damage or dishonour what it considers to be a historic and strategic signing,” concludes the statement.
Read: The Secret Behind Neymar’s Success
What are your thoughts on the Neymar-saga? Have your say in the comments section below.
