Former Barca chief Bartomeu accused of disloyal administration
Bartomeu and other former club directors are accused of making unjustified payments between 2015 and 2019Prosecutors have accused Bartomeu of “disloyal administration” and of having “caused damage” to the clubBARCELONA: Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been accused by Spanish prosecutors of disloyal administration, according to documents seen by AFP on Tuesday.Bartomeu and other former club directors are accused of making unjustified payments between 2015 and 2019.According to a court document seen by AFP, the prosecution has accused the former Barcelona president of “disloyal administration” and of having “caused damage” to the club by “failing to fulfil the duties of diligence and loyalty” implied by his role.The former Barca chief, in charge from 2014 to 2020, will have to explain alleged hidden commissions paid, most notably in the club’s signing of Brazil winger Malcom from Bordeaux in 2018 for over 40 million euros ($47 million).Other areas in which there are apparent irregularities include the legal case surrounding the club’s signing of Neymar, and the Espai Barca project to transform the Camp Nou stadium and surrounding area.Current Barcelona president Joan Laporta presented an in-depth report to prosecutors earlier this year, after hiring investigators to analyze how the club had been run in the years prior.Barcelona have been in a tough financial position over the past few years after heavy spending during Bartomeu’s reign, including buying Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann for a combined total cost of more than 400 million euros.A statement issued by Bartomeu’s lawyers said that although he may have “made mistakes” during his reign, there is not “the slightest