February 19 – Sandro Rosell, who dramatically quit as Barcelona president partly over an investigation into last year’s signing of star Brazilian forward Neymar, is reportedly no longer facing unconnected allegations that he benefitted illegally from a friendly match involving the Brazilian national team.
A Brazilian court has acquitted Ailanto Marketing, which Rosell reportedly owned, of any liability in a dispute over a fixture against Portugal six years ago.
Recent reports suggested Rosell was still being persued by public prosecutors to pay back €3 million deposited into Ailanto Marketing. Last year prosecutors claimed there had been no formal bidding for the rights to Portugal friendly and that a false document had been used to secure the deal.
The Portugal game was one of a number of non-competitive fixtures allegedly involving Rosell at a time when Brazilian football was then headed by his long-time friend and business associate Ricardo Teixeira. But according to Brazilian reports, a court in the capital has now cleared Rosell of any alleged crime in organising the 2008 friendly though according to Mundo Deportivo two state officials, former Governor Jose Roberto Arruda and Sports Minister Aguinaldo Silva de Oliveira, have both been found guilty of improper conduct and barred from public office.
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