February 25 – The high-profile trial of Sandro Rosell, the former Barcelona strongman who is accused of money laundering related to television rights and sponsorship of the Brazilian national football team, finally got under way today with Spanish prosecutors seeking an 11-year prison sentence plus a fine of nearly €60 million.
Already the preventive detention of Rosell, one-time leader of the European Clubs Association whose star dramatically faded and who has been in custody since May 2017, is the longest in Spanish judicial history for an alleged economic crime according to local reports.
The case centres on a deal signed by Ricardo Teixeira, the former head of the Brazilian Football Confederation, in 2006 with a company based in the Cayman Islands for the television rights to 24 Brazil friendly matches.
Rosell, his wife and four others are accused of “large-scale money laundering” of at least €19.9 million. Rosell had previously lived and worked in Brazil, where he forged numerous business links.
Altogether, Rosell and his wife allegedly received close to €15 million in their accounts as part of the deal. They pocketed €6.6 million with €8.4 million destined for Teixeira, prosecutors say. Rosell denies all the allegations against him.
Teixeira, a former FIFA vice-president, has been indicted by US Justice Department prosecutors investigating the FifaGate scandal. Described in his homeland as the man of a thousand contacts, he rarely appears in public these days and stays in Brazil for fear of being arrested.
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