Barca president denies tax fraud on Neymar deal

FC Barcelona’s President Josep Maria Bartomeu gestures during a press conference at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Jan 24, 2014. AP

MADRID, Spain—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 9.1 million euros ($12.5 million) through payments to varying companies and false contracts.

Bartomeu says “we did everything according to the letter of the law (…) our contract with Neymar and Santos is totally legal. 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 €57.1 million ($74 million) to €86.2 million euros ($118 million).

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