Prosecutors ask High Court to open proceedings against FC Barcelona president

High Court prosecutors have asked Judge Pablo Ruz to open legal proceedings against the president of FC Barcelona, Sandro Rosell, over the club’s signing of Brazilian superstar Neymar last summer. The prosecutor’s office considers that there is evidence of contractual irregularities in the documentation submitted to the court by Barcelona in December in response to a complaint lodged by a club member, Jordi Cases, who has accused Rosell of misappropriating 40 million euros of the 57 million paid to sign the player from Brazilian side Santos.

The prosecutors have asked Fifa to submit the documentation relating to Neymar’s transfer, including the financial movements recorded in the world governing body’s registry.

The lawsuit lodged by Cases says that Barcelona paid 57.1 million euros for the player’s signature – 17.1 million for the transfer and 40 million the company Neymar & Neymar, owned by his father Neymar da Silva Santos, relating to the Brazil international’s economic and federative rights. Cases claims that the details of the contract were concealed from Barcelona club members and that the final destination of the 40 million euros apparently paid to Neymar & Neymar remains unknown.

Ruz has also been asked to request the contract signed by Neymar with his father’s company and that under which he played for Santos, as well as the documentation held by the Brazilian club regarding the transfer.