Barca chief defends Neymar transfer

Josep Bartomeu says the Spanish champions did nothing wrong and the contract with Neymar is legal despite court verdict.

Neymar's transfer rose from the announced $74m to $188m [AFP]

President Josep Bartomeu defended Barcelona’s dealings in signing Neymar, saying the Spanish champion would do it all over again despite being charged with tax fraud.

A Spanish judge charged Barcelona with the crime on Thursday, alleging it swindled the state of $12.5m through payments to varying companies and false contracts.

“We did everything according to the letter of the law… our contract with Neymar and Santos is totally legal,” said Bartomeu.

“The negotiations, the transactions, the contracts, everything was done legally and we would do it all again the exact same way.”

The high-profile transfer saga led to Barcelona president Sandro Rosell’s resignation as the true cost of the deal rose from $74m to $118m.

Source: AP