Barcelona court investigates football stars in NFT scam
World Cup winners and ex-Barcelona players face allegations of fraud linked to a crypto company’s opaque and tax-evading structure.
A Barcelona court has launched a criminal probe into Shirtum Europa SLU, a crypto firm accused of defrauding investors of $3.4 million through a failed NFT scheme. Several elite footballers, including World Cup winners and former Barcelona stars, are named in the case after promoting the venture.
The NFTs tied to footballer image rights and sold via the $SHI token were marketed as exclusive collectables but were never tradable or backed by a functioning platform.
Founders allegedly used a complex corporate structure to evade taxes and siphon funds, with footballers acting as public faces to boost credibility.
The footballers are ‘Papu’ Gómez, Lucas Ocampos, Ivan Rakitić, Javier Saviola, Nico Pareja, and Alberto Moreno. Reports suggest ‘Papu’ Gómez recruited others after presenting himself as a company founder before all promotional material was removed from social media.
The scandal exposes problems in Spanish football’s crypto partnerships, as a gambling ad ban left a sponsorship gap that crypto firms filled. Many clubs face unpaid fees, and experts warn big names may mislead investors.
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