Barcelona: The president of Spanish champion Barcelona resigned on Thursday to fight criminal accusations he misappropriated funds from the signing of Brazil star Neymar.
Sandro Rosell is facing a lengthy legal battle after a judge in Madrid ruled on Wednesday he would hear a lawsuit that alleges the real cost of Neymar's transfer from Santos last year was hidden.
"My time at the club has come to an end," Rosell said, while insisting for a second time this week that the deal to bring Neymar to Barcelona was legal.
Neymar, who is the poster boy of Brazil's team going into the World Cup on home soil in June, joined for 57 million euros (then $74 million) in June, according to Rosell. The legal case claims that the real cost of Neymar's transfer was closer to 95 million euros ($129 million).
The 49-year-old Rosell, a former Nike executive, said confidentiality agreements prevented Barcelona from revealing the exact amount received by Santos, and the three companies - DIS, TEISA and
N&N - who owned shares of his rights. The lawsuit does not accuse Rosell of taking money from the deal.
The case prompted Barcelona's board to call an emergency meeting, and Rosell announced he was quitting after more than two hours of deliberations.
The transfer controversy is a blot on the reputation of a Catalan football institution that has long prided itself on being "more than a club" and is owned by its more than 160,000 members, who elect a president and executive board.
Rosell, who was elected in 2010, said vice president Josep Bartomeu would take his place and complete the presidential term that expires in 2016.
Rosell said he was leaving to reduce the stress on him and his family and lamented what he described as attacks from both outside and within the club, despite its continued success on the pitch.
"Through this period of success, my family and I have suffered attacks that have made me wonder if being president means putting my family at risk an in anguish," Rosell said.
Last March, Rosell was also accused in Brazil of illegally benefiting from a friendly organized by his marketing company in 2008.
By stepping down, Rosell loses seats on influential committees within world football on FIFA and UEFA.
Barcelona, which is tied for the lead of the Spanish league with Atletico Madrid, enters a period of uncertainty as it seeks to retain its league title and win the Champions League.
