And now:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... -quit.html
Barcelona have been thrown into crisis just three weeks ahead of their trip to Manchester City with president Sandro Rosell set to resign.
An emergency board meeting has been called for 6pm this afternoon at the Nou Camp.
Rosell, the former Nike executive who took over from Joan Laporta in 2010, looks set to stand down after the club were taken to court over their signing of Neymar.
He met with his No 2 Josep Maria Bartomeu on Thursday morning and it is understood the vice-president will now take over from Rosell.
Rosell has always maintained that Barcelona paid £47million euros for Neymar – £14m to his club Santos and £33m to a company owned by the player’s father called N&N. When a club member, Jordi Casas, asked him to explain the £33m payment to N&N he was ignored so he went to the courts and Rosell now has a lot more explaining to do.
After being shown all the contracts from the Neymar transfer Judge Pablo Ruz has accepted the case although it is still not clear if Rosell will need to give evidence.
It is understood there are 12 contracts in total surrounding Neymar’s switch from Santos and adding all agreed payments between Barcelona and N&N and Barcelona and Santos the total fee is closer to £82m.
Rosell argues that other contracts drawn up with Neymar-owned companies have nothing to do with the player’s move from Santos to Barcelona. One contract pays them to unearth new talents in Brazil and another pays them to find new commercial partners for Barcelona. There is also a third contract with a Neymar charity to fund work in the favelas.
These three contracts amount to £7m and if the court decides they form part of the money earned by Neymar from Barcelona – in effect disguised wages – then the club will be liable to pay tax on them.
Rosell also argues that payments to Santos for preferential rights on three players and for two friendly games have nothing to do with the purchase of Neymar but if the court decides they are part of the deal, third parties who part-owned the player will pursue Barcelona for more money.
The original payment of £33m to N&N is also being disputed. It was agreed in a contract signed in 2011 that Barcelona would purchase Neymar in 2014 when he was due to become a free-agent.
In the end the money was paid in 2013 when the player still partly belonged to Santos. Rosell says this was a penalty payment for breaking the agreement with N&N to sign the player in 2014 but this is disputed
The mancityfans.net football forum
The BEST FORUM in all the land and all the world
