Barcelona President in court over Neymar tax fraud allegations

The president of Barcelona, Josep Bartomeu, has been questioned in a Spanish court over the transfer of Brazilian Neymar in 2013.



Bartomeu is a suspect in a tax fraud probe and is having to answer the questions of a National Court judge in Madrid today. He was called to court because State Prosecutor Jose Perals , requested that judge Pablo Ruz investigated Bartomeu and Futbol Club Barcelona over an alleged fraud committed in the signing of Neymar.

Judge Pablo Ruz is trying to determine whether Bartomeu, as club president, defrauded Spain's Tax Office of £2.07 million ($3.19m - €2.8m - AU$4.07) as part of the deal.

Spanish legend Zavi is sick of the saga as he told Radio Catalunya.

"The Neymar theme has been going on for over a year now, and we're tired of it. It's a difficult issue for everyone. We don't like these off-field issues and it'll be good if the case is closed as soon as possible. 

"The other day I was with the president, and we both agreed that it's uncomfortable for everyone but that's what we have to endure."

It's not that long ago that the European Union refused to bail out Spanish banks while football clubs were not paying their taxes or bank loans back. Clubs have had to tighten their purse strings so player sales are fundamental to survival. Pochettino had that problem when he was manager of Espanyol, the club had to keep selling players every six months just to survive.

---