Neymar Contract Revealed; Has Barcelona Damaged its Image?
Has Barcelona damaged its reputation after the Neymar contract debacle?
For months, there have been inquiries about the fee paid for the Brazilian phenom. After much controversy, former Barcelona President Sandro Rosell was forced to resign. The result was that the club finally opened up about the controversy to stop the bleeding and offered an extensive look into the financials behind the Neymar deal (the document can be viewed here).
According to ESPN, Rosell was being investigated for hiding the real cost of Neymar's transfer in false contracts.
"We have done everything within all legal bounds, with everything looked over by many professionals, and we have no doubt everything was done correctly," New president Josep Bartomeu told reporters on Friday, according to ESPN. "If [Jordi] Cases widens his lawsuit to include us, we have no plans to step down at all. If the judge accuses us, which will be difficult, we will also not step down.
"This institution will continue to be led by this board of directors, with me at the helm, and we won't take any steps backward. We will be here until 2016."
Barcelona has always prided itself on being a model of professionalism and dignity. The club has always claimed to be the antithesis of its rival Real Madrid as well. While Los Blancos are known for paying exuberantly in order to strengthen their corps, Barcelona has always maintained that it grew its own players through La Masia.
When Real Madrid bought Gareth Bale this summer for over 100 million euros, current Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino called the move "disrespectful." Whether or not Martino was aware of the Neymar fee has not been revealed. However, it is safe to say that he can no longer stand by that statement in the context of his own team's recent actions.
Has Barcelona damaged its image?