Million-dollar scam! Former Barça and Espanyol players implicated in cryptocurrency scandal

A new multimillion-euro scam related to cryptocurrencies and NFTs has come to light. This time, the case affects several footballers and former footballers who, without being aware, may have contributed to giving visibility to a fraudulent project. El Periódico has reported this, stating that a lawsuit has been filed against the company Shirtum Europa and its subsidiaries, as well as against several of its executives.

Among the names mentioned in the complaint are former FC Barcelona players such as Ivan Rakitic and Javier Saviola. Other well-known footballers are also listed, such as Nico Pareja, formerly of Espanyol, and Argentinians Papu Gómez and Lucas Ocampos, both World Cup champions with Argentina. All of them played for Sevilla FC at some point in their careers.

What has happened?

The fraud already exceeds three million euros, although it could be even higher. Twelve people residing in Spain have filed the complaint as direct victims. They claim to have lost significant amounts of money after investing in an NFT project that promised great profits.

The Spanish company Shirtum Europa and its subsidiaries in Andorra are identified as the main parties responsible for the scam. The lawsuit, admitted for processing about a month ago, also accuses four businesspeople, three of them Catalan, of up to eleven different crimes. The charges include fraud, misappropriation, asset stripping, tax fraud, and money laundering.

According to the complaint, these businesspeople disappeared after emptying the company. While it was active, Shirtum offered the purchase of NFTs allegedly related to the footballers involved. The victims made payments in cryptocurrencies, but according to the investigation, those transactions do not appear in the company's official accounting records.

Why is Rakitic involved?

The link between the athletes and the project follows a common pattern. All of them gave their image to promote the initiative. They posted messages on their social media showing support for the project, which caused a sense of trust among investors.

However, everything indicates that the footballers were not aware of the fraudulent background. They simply limited themselves to collaborating with a marketing campaign that turned out to be part of a scam. Now, the case is in the hands of the justice system and the investigation is ongoing.

This new scandal once again puts at the center of the debate the lack of regulation in the world of cryptocurrencies and NFTs. It also highlights the dangers of linking the image of public figures to financial projects without guarantees.