The judge investigating FC Barcelona for the payment of commissions on transfers during the presidency of Joseph Maria Bartomeu sees signs of disloyal administration and falsehood in the payment of 15 million to Atlético de Madrid to stop his complaint for having negotiated with Antoine Griezmann while having a current contract with the red and white club.
The Court of Instruction number 32 of Barcelona, which has recently charged Bartomeu and some of his main executives, considers in a ruling to which EL MUNDO has had access that “must be added” to the cause “the signing of the soccer player Antoine Griezmann by FC Barcelona.”
The instructor remembers that “supposedly he negotiated with a soccer player with contract in force with another club”, as revealed by EL MUNDO, which published the emails of the secret negotiation. In this way, the judge considers that Barça “skipped FIFA regulations” which establishes that “clubs cannot contact an athlete with a current contract if they have not previously spoken to their team” and emphasizes that “the last 6 months of the footballer’s contract are excepted, which is not the case at hand.”
The judge adds that Atlético de Madrid “reported him to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), since it had important indications that the club had negotiated with the player directly between February and March 2019“. A “technically prohibited period,” the order highlights.
“In order to avoid a possible sanction from the RFEF, supposedly, on the part of those investigated, they negotiated directly with Atlético de Madrid and they reached an agreement where the payment of 15 million was valued in exchange for not providing evidence to the procedure that had been initiated,” the judicial resolution adds.
“In order to give a legitimate appearance to the payments, it was allegedly simulated that a priority right of first refusal was acquired over different young footballers from Atlético de Madrid,” continues the judge, who concludes that once the first refusal contract was signed, “Atlético de Madrid, presumably, desisted from providing evidence to the RFEF regarding the complaint filed against FC Barcelona.” “These facts could constitute the crime ofunfair management and/or accounting falsehood“.