By Andrew Warshaw
January 27 – Sandro Rosell, who dramatically quit as Barcelona president last week over an investigation into last year’s signing of star Brazilian forward Neymar, is still facing unconnected allegations that he benefitted illegally from friendly matches involving the Brazilian national team.
According to new reports in Brazil, Rosell could face eight years in prison if found guilty of illegally receiving funds from a series of friendlies leading up to this year’s World Cup including one against Portugal in 2008.
The reports claim Rosell is being persued by public prosecutors to pay back €3 million deposited in a company named Ailanto Marketing Ltd, which he reportedly owns. Last year prosecutors claimed there had been no formal bidding for the rights 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.
Rosell, a former executive of Nike, has repeatedly rebutted any wrongdoing in his relationship with Teixeira who, in his time, was one of football’s most influential powerbrokers before being forced to resign in March 2012 from both the Brazilian FA (CBF) and the World Cup organising committee. Although he cited ill-health, he had been the subject of persistent corruption claims having been investigated in his own country for various alleged crimes, including tax evasion and money laundering.
He was also heavily implicated in the infamous ISL scandal with the Swiss prosecutor’s report revealing that, during his tenure on FIFA’s executive committee, he and his one-time father-in-law, ex-FIFA President Joao Havelange, took more than $41 million in bribes in connection with the award of World Cup marketing rights.
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