Former Barcelona chief Rosell acquitted of money laundering

The Spanish National Court has acquitted former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell of money laundering after he spent 20 months in prison.

Rosell was Barcelona president between 2010 and 2014 but resigned after an investigation was launched into the club’s signing of Neymar from Santos.

He was arrested in May 2017 and accused, along with five others, of laundering fees for the audiovisual rights of 24 Brazil matches and also a sponsorship contract with Nike.

The court found that the accusations could not be accredited to the accused and Rosell was acquitted of the charges.

The prosecutor had modified his provisional findings and requested a sentence of six years in prison for money laundering and criminal group crimes for Rosell, having previously sought a sentence of 11 years.

Rosell was given a conditional release in February.