Barcelona’s Former President Bartomeu Faces Court Over Transfer Commission Allegations

Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been formally charged following a complaint filed by current president Joan Laporta, with Barcelona’s Investigating Court No. 16 summoning him to testify on October 24, 2025. The charges stem from allegations of paying millions in irregular commissions during high-profile transfers including Antoine Griezmann and Malcom, with a forensic report from consulting firm Kroll estimating approximately €30 million in damages to the club through disloyal administration, misappropriation, and accounting fraud.

The Charges: What Bartomeu and His Board Face

The legal case against Josep Maria Bartomeu represents one of the most serious challenges to face a former Barcelona president in the club’s history. The allegations paint a picture of systematic financial misconduct during his tenure from 2014 to 2020, involving inflated commissions, shell companies, and deliberate circumvention of internal controls.

Key Figures Charged and Court Dates:

Name	Position During Bartomeu Era	Testimony Date	Allegations
Josep Maria Bartomeu	President (2014-2020)	October 24, 2025	Disloyal administration, misappropriation, fraud
Oscar Grau	CEO	October 24, 2025	Financial misconduct, irregular payments
Román Gómez Ponti	Head of Legal Services	October 24, 2025	Facilitating irregular transactions
Jordi Mestre	Vice President of Sport	November 7, 2025	Involvement in transfer irregularities
Nacho Mestre	General Director	November 7, 2025	Administrative misconduct
José Ángel González Franco	External Lawyer	December 4, 2025	Receiving irregular payments
Domingo Goenaga	González Franco’s Partner	December 4, 2025	Financial irregularities

The charges filed by Laporta’s administration cite three primary criminal offenses: disloyal administration (acting against the club’s interests for personal benefit), misappropriation of funds (diverting club money for unauthorized purposes), and accounting fraud (falsifying financial records to conceal irregular transactions).

Barcelona’s current board claims that some commissions reached an astonishing 33% of transfer fees—far exceeding the industry standard of approximately 5%—and that shell companies were allegedly created solely to invoice the club for services that were never properly rendered or documented.

The Malcom Transfer: A Case Study in Alleged Misconduct

The transfer of Brazilian winger Malcom from Bordeaux in July 2018 serves as one of the primary examples cited in Laporta’s complaint, illustrating the alleged pattern of financial irregularities during Bartomeu’s presidency.

Malcom Transfer Financial Breakdown:

Component	Amount	Timing	Irregularity Alleged
Transfer Fee to Bordeaux	€41 million	July 2018	Standard payment
Alleged Commission	€10 million (24% of fee)	After deal completion	Signed post-transfer, excessive rate
Market Value	€30 million	Summer 2018	Overpayment concerns
Sale to Zenit (1 year later)	€40 million + €5m add-ons	Summer 2019	€6m+ loss after commissions

The most damning aspect of the Malcom case involves the alleged €10 million commission—representing approximately 24% of the transfer fee—reportedly paid through a contract signed after the deal had already been finalized. This timing raises serious questions about the legitimacy of the payment and whether it served any genuine purpose related to completing the transfer.

Malcom’s Barcelona career proved disastrous, with the 21-year-old making only 24 appearances before being sold to Zenit St. Petersburg just one year later. The rapid departure, combined with the alleged excessive commissions, exemplifies what Laporta describes as transactions that caused significant financial damage to Barcelona.

The transfer became even more controversial given the circumstances of Malcom’s signing. Barcelona hijacked the deal at the last moment, swooping in after Roma had already announced an agreement with Bordeaux. The Brazilian winger was literally en route to Rome when his representative informed him of Barcelona’s late intervention, forcing him to return home.

Even Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde seemed unenthusiastic about the signing, stating in his first pre-season press conference: “The club thought he could help,” without giving personal approval—suggesting the decision came from the boardroom rather than the coaching staff.

The Griezmann Saga: Alleged Payments to Avoid Legal Action

The transfer of Antoine Griezmann from Atlético Madrid in 2019 represents another focal point of the allegations against Bartomeu, with claims of irregular payments designed to circumvent legal challenges and smooth a controversial move.

Griezmann Transfer Alleged Irregularities:

Payment Type	Recipient	Amount	Alleged Purpose
Transfer Fee	Atlético Madrid	€120 million	Official release clause payment
“Scouting Services” Payment	Atlético Madrid	€15 million	Allegedly to avoid lawsuit over illegal approach
Legal/Commission Fees	José Ángel González Franco	Undisclosed	Facilitating transfer, irregular nature
Total Additional Costs	Various	€15m+ beyond fee	Exceeding standard transfer expenses

According to the complaint, Barcelona allegedly paid €15 million to Atlético Madrid through what Laporta describes as a “simulation of player scouting”—essentially a fictitious payment disguised as payment for scouting services. The true purpose, according to the allegations, was to prevent Atlético from pursuing legal action after evidence emerged that Barcelona had illegally approached Griezmann while he was still under contract.

This alleged payment represents a clear violation of FIFA regulations regarding tapping up players, and the attempt to cover up the misconduct through a disguised payment could constitute fraud. The accusation suggests Barcelona’s previous administration preferred paying hush money rather than facing the potential consequences of their irregular approach to the French forward.

Additionally, payments to lawyer José Ángel González Franco, who played a role in facilitating Griezmann’s transfer, are under scrutiny. These payments, whose exact amounts remain undisclosed in public reports, allegedly represented excessive commissions that violated both internal Barcelona policies and industry norms.

The Neymar Case and Other Questionable Payments

Beyond the Malcom and Griezmann transfers, Laporta’s complaint references additional questionable payments that allegedly occurred during Bartomeu’s presidency, including transactions related to resolving the Neymar legal saga.

Additional Alleged Irregular Payments:

Case	Payment Amount	Recipient	Alleged Issue
Neymar Legal Settlement	€1.7 million	José Ángel González Franco	Excessive legal fees
Agent Commissions (Various)	Up to 33% of fees	Multiple agents	Far exceeding 5% industry standard
Journalist/Media Payments	Undisclosed	Various journalists	Unjustified payments
Shell Company Invoices	Undisclosed	Multiple entities	Services never rendered

The €1.7 million payment to González Franco allegedly related to settling legal disputes arising from Neymar’s contentious 2017 departure to Paris Saint-Germain remains particularly controversial. The Brazilian forward’s transfer to PSG triggered lawsuits and counter-lawsuits involving loyalty bonuses, contract disputes, and allegations of improper conduct.

Laporta’s administration questions whether the €1.7 million payment represented reasonable legal fees or constituted an excessive, unjustified enrichment of the lawyer at Barcelona’s expense. The complaint suggests this payment was part of a broader pattern of using club funds to compensate individuals in Bartomeu’s network without proper justification or oversight.

The forensic report from Kroll detective agency also uncovered evidence of payments to journalists and media figures that lacked proper justification. These payments raise questions about whether Bartomeu’s administration used club funds to cultivate favorable media coverage or suppress negative stories—a practice that would constitute a serious breach of fiduciary duty.

The Kroll Report: Forensic Evidence of Systematic Misconduct

The foundation of Laporta’s complaint rests on an extensive forensic investigation conducted by Kroll, a globally recognized consulting firm specializing in financial investigations and corporate compliance. This report, submitted to both Barcelona’s board and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, provides the evidentiary basis for the criminal charges.

Key Findings from Kroll Forensic Investigation:

Finding Category	Discovery	Financial Impact
Excessive Commissions	Rates up to 33% vs. 5% industry standard	€10-15 million excess
Shell Companies	Entities created solely to invoice Barcelona	€5-10 million
Post-Deal Contracts	Agreements signed after transfers completed	€8-12 million
Disguised Payments	Legitimate services used to mask irregular payments	€15+ million
Total Estimated Damages	Systematic financial misconduct	€30 million

The Kroll report’s methodology involved examining thousands of financial documents, contracts, emails, and bank transactions to reconstruct the true nature of payments made during Bartomeu’s presidency. The investigation employed forensic accounting techniques to identify patterns of misconduct that might not be immediately apparent from individual transactions.

One particularly damning pattern identified by Kroll investigators involves the practice of breaking larger payments into smaller amounts to avoid detection by internal controls. Barcelona’s financial regulations required board approval for payments exceeding certain thresholds, and the evidence suggests deliberate efforts to structure transactions to circumvent this oversight.

The report also documented the creation of shell companies—entities with no legitimate business operations—that existed solely to issue invoices to Barcelona. These companies would bill the club for services that were either never provided or grossly overvalued, with the funds ultimately flowing to individuals connected to Bartomeu’s administration.

Laporta’s Complaint: A “Modus Operandi” of Financial Control Evasion

Current Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who reclaimed the presidency in March 2021 after Bartomeu’s resignation, filed the complaint in 2022 under judicial secrecy. The two-year investigation that followed has now resulted in formal charges and scheduled court testimony.

Laporta characterizes the alleged misconduct not as isolated incidents but as a systematic “modus operandi” designed to bypass Barcelona’s internal financial controls and statutory economic oversight mechanisms. This framing suggests deliberate, coordinated efforts to subvert the club’s governance structures for personal enrichment or to facilitate questionable decisions without proper scrutiny.

Laporta Administration’s Key Accusations:

• Systematic Circumvention of Controls: Deliberately structuring transactions to avoid board oversight
• Shell Company Creation: Establishing entities solely to facilitate irregular invoicing
• Post-Transaction Contracts: Signing agreements after deals completed to justify retroactive payments
• Inflated Commission Rates: Paying 33% when industry standard is approximately 5%
• Disguised Payments: Using legitimate-sounding services to mask questionable transactions
• Personal Enrichment: Allegations that some payments benefited individuals in Bartomeu’s network

Laporta’s decision to pursue criminal charges rather than simply civil remedies reflects the gravity of the alleged misconduct. By involving the Public Prosecutor’s Office and criminal courts, Laporta seeks not just financial restitution but also potential criminal penalties for those responsible.

The current president has repeatedly emphasized that these actions are necessary to restore Barcelona’s financial health and governance integrity. Upon taking office, Laporta encountered a club with €1.35 billion in debt and unsustainable player salaries that were 40% higher than competitors—a financial catastrophe he attributes largely to Bartomeu’s mismanagement.

Bartomeu’s Defense: “Standard Practice” Claims

Josep Maria Bartomeu and his legal representatives have vigorously denied all allegations, characterizing the payments as standard industry practice and questioning the legitimacy of the investigation. Through his lawyer, Bartomeu has asked: “Is there any club in the world that does not pay commission to players’ agents?”

This defense strategy attempts to normalize the alleged conduct by suggesting that paying commissions to intermediaries represents common practice in modern football. However, this argument fails to address the core allegations:

Problems with Bartomeu’s Defense:

1. Commission Rates: Even if commissions are standard, 33% rates far exceed industry norms of approximately 5%
2. Post-Deal Contracts: Signing agreements after transfers complete raises questions about their legitimacy
3. Shell Companies: Creating entities solely to invoice the club cannot be justified as standard practice
4. Disguised Payments: Using fictitious services to mask payments constitutes potential fraud
5. Control Circumvention: Deliberately avoiding internal oversight violates governance duties

Bartomeu’s legal team has also expressed “astonishment” that proceedings were opened two years after the complaint was filed, suggesting the investigation represents a politically motivated witch hunt by Laporta’s administration. They have requested that the judge not extend the investigation further, arguing that sufficient time has elapsed to examine the relevant evidence.

However, the involvement of the Public Prosecutor’s Office—an independent body—undermines claims of political motivation. Prosecutors would not pursue charges without credible evidence of criminal conduct, and the Kroll forensic report provides substantial documentation supporting the allegations.

Historical Context: Bartomeu’s Troubled Legacy at Barcelona

The current charges represent merely the latest in a series of controversies and legal challenges that have plagued Josep Maria Bartomeu since his departure from Barcelona’s presidency in October 2020.

Bartomeu’s Legal Troubles Timeline:

Date	Case	Status	Key Allegations
March 2021	Barcagate Scandal	Arrested, released pending charges	Paying for social media campaigns against rivals
2023-Present	Negreira Referee Case	Under investigation	€7.5m payments to referee official
2022-2025	Transfer Commission Case	Formal charges filed	€30m in irregular transfer payments

The Barcagate Scandal: In March 2021, police arrested Bartomeu following raids on Barcelona’s Camp Nou offices as part of an investigation into allegations that his administration secretly paid PR company I3 Ventures to conduct social media campaigns targeting rivals, critics, and even club legends like Pep Guardiola. WhatsApp messages uncovered by police allegedly showed Bartomeu directly overseeing these campaigns.

Bartomeu spent one night in custody before being released pending charges. While an external audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers cleared Barcelona of paying inflated prices for I3 Ventures’ services, the investigation into whether the campaigns constituted improper conduct remains ongoing.

The Negreira Referee Case: Perhaps even more serious than the transfer commission allegations, Bartomeu faces potential charges in the Negreira case, which involves alleged payments totaling €7.5 million made to José María Enríquez Negreira, former vice president of Spain’s refereeing committee, and his son over an 18-year period.

Prosecutors have accused Barcelona, Bartomeu, and other former officials of corruption, alleging the club paid Negreira “so that, in his capacity as vice president of the refereeing committee and in exchange for money, he would carry out actions aimed at favouring Barcelona in the decision making of referees.”

Bartomeu is scheduled to testify in the Negreira case, which could result in significantly more severe penalties than the transfer commission allegations if prosecutors can prove deliberate efforts to influence match officials.

Financial Devastation: The Legacy of Bartomeu’s Presidency

Beyond the specific criminal allegations, Bartomeu’s tenure as Barcelona president left the club in catastrophic financial condition. When Joan Laporta returned to the presidency in 2021, he encountered a club on the brink of financial collapse.

Barcelona’s Financial Situation at End of Bartomeu Era:

Metric	Amount	Context
Total Debt	€1.35 billion	Unsustainable burden
Recent Losses	€600 million	Only €135m pandemic-related
Wage Bill	110% of revenue	40% higher than competitors
Short-Term Obligations	€730 million	Required emergency restructuring
Transfer Commission Waste (Alleged)	€30 million	Subject of current charges

The financial devastation extended beyond questionable transfer commissions. Bartomeu’s administration approved player contracts with unsustainable salary structures, most infamously Lionel Messi’s final contract, which reportedly committed Barcelona to paying the Argentine superstar over €500 million across four years.

These excessive wage commitments, combined with declining revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic, created a perfect storm that forced Barcelona to implement emergency measures. The club could not register new signings without shedding salary, leading to the heartbreaking departure of Messi in 2021 when Barcelona literally could not afford to keep him under La Liga’s financial fair play regulations.

Laporta’s administration was forced to take out emergency loans to restructure short-term debt, sell off portions of future broadcasting revenues and merchandising rights (the controversial “economic levers”), and implement severe cost-cutting measures to restore financial stability.

Implications for Barcelona and Spanish Football

The charges against Bartomeu and his associates carry significant implications extending beyond the individuals involved, potentially affecting Barcelona’s reputation, governance practices, and the broader Spanish football ecosystem.

Potential Consequences:

For Bartomeu personally, conviction on the charged offenses could result in:

• Prison sentences for fraud, embezzlement, and disloyal administration
• Substantial financial penalties and restitution orders
• Permanent bans from holding positions in Spanish football
• Civil liability for damages caused to Barcelona

For Barcelona as an institution:

• Reputational damage in addition to ongoing Negreira scandal
• Potential UEFA or FIFA sanctions if governance failures are deemed systemic
• Pressure to implement enhanced financial controls and transparency measures
• Possible civil actions by club members seeking damages

For Spanish football broadly:

• Increased scrutiny of transfer commission practices across La Liga
• Potential regulatory reforms regarding intermediary payments
• Enhanced transparency requirements for club financial transactions
• Precedent for prosecuting executives for financial misconduct

The case also raises important questions about football governance more generally. If the allegations are proven true, they demonstrate how easily club officials can exploit weak oversight mechanisms to engage in self-dealing and financial misconduct at the expense of institutions they are supposed to serve.

October 24 Court Date Looms

As October 24, 2025 approaches, Josep Maria Bartomeu prepares to face his first courtroom testimony regarding the alleged transfer commission irregularities. The scheduled appearances by Oscar Grau and other former executives in the following weeks will provide additional insights into the alleged misconduct during Barcelona’s financially tumultuous Bartomeu era.

The Kroll forensic report and Laporta’s detailed complaint provide substantial documentation supporting serious allegations of systematic financial misconduct. If proven in court, these charges would vindicate Laporta’s decision to pursue criminal action and potentially result in significant penalties for those responsible for Barcelona’s financial devastation.

For Barcelona supporters, the case represents another painful chapter in the club’s recent history—a period marked by financial recklessness, governance failures, and the heartbreaking departure of club legend Lionel Messi. The hope is that accountability for past misconduct, combined with reformed governance practices, will help restore Barcelona to financial health and institutional integrity worthy of one of football’s most storied clubs.

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