Idman.biz
The judge investigating Barcelona's transfer payments during Josep Bartomeu's presidency has decided to add the signing of Antoine Griezmann to the case.
Idman.Biz reports this with reference to "El Mundo".
He believes that the Catalans violated the ban on direct negotiations with the player without the permission of his club (Atletico Madrid - ed.), based on e-mails sent during secret negotiations. The aforementioned ban only applies when there are less than six months left until the player's contract expires.
The judge noted that the Madrid club appealed to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) between February and March 2019 regarding Barcelona's contacts with Griezmann, when "Barca" did not have such a right.
"In order to avoid potential sanctions from the RFEF, it is estimated that the persons under investigation directly negotiated with "Atletico Madrid" and reached an agreement involving the payment of 15 million euros in exchange for not providing evidence for ongoing processes," the court decision reads.
"In order to give the payments a guise of legitimacy, it is shown that ("Barcelona") acquired the right to be the first to buy several "Atletico Madrid" players. These facts can be described as administrative violations and/or accounting fraud," the judge concluded.
