**Six elite footballers, including World Cup winners and former Barcelona and Sevilla stars, are facing fraud allegations after a crypto company they promoted vanished with millions in investor funds, leaving thousands holding worthless digital tokens.**
Barcelona’s Fifth District Court has opened a criminal investigation into the alleged scam, which centers around Shirtum Europa SLU—a crypto and NFT venture accused of defrauding investors out of at least $3.4 million (€3 million). According to a report by *El Periódico*, the company, backed by a group of Spanish and Argentine businessmen, sold NFTs tied to footballers’ image rights using its in-house token, $SHI. But when the platform collapsed, investors were left with digital assets they couldn’t trade, sell, or use.
Among the high-profile players named in the complaint are Argentine World Cup winner Alejandro “Papu” Gómez, Sevilla’s Lucas Ocampos, former Barcelona stars Ivan Rakitić and Javier Saviola, as well as ex-Sevilla defenders Nico Pareja and Alberto Moreno. While none have been formally charged, their involvement as promoters has drawn scrutiny.
### **The Alleged Scheme**
The complaint, filed by 12 victims earlier this year, paints a picture of a meticulously structured operation designed to evade accountability. Argentine businessman David Rozencwaig and Catalan entrepreneurs Manel Ángel Torras, his son Marc Alberto Torras, and Manuel Morillas allegedly built a “complex corporate structure” spanning Spain and Andorra to obscure financial trails and minimize tax liabilities.
A financial analysis by Prosper Lamothe, a leading economics professor, supported the claims, describing Shirtum’s setup as deliberately opaque. Investors were promised exclusive digital collectibles—some priced as high as €450—but the NFTs were never functional, and the platform allegedly lacked the infrastructure to support trading.
### **Footballers as Frontmen**
The players’ role appears to have been primarily promotional. Shirtum presented them as “founders” and brand ambassadors, leveraging their fame to attract investors. Papu Gómez, reportedly a close friend of Rozencwaig, was particularly active in recruiting other players before quietly scrubbing all Shirtum-related posts from his social media.
In March 2022, Shirtum claimed it had been hacked twice, losing significant funds—yet no police reports were filed. Investigators now allege the “hacks” were a smokescreen while funds were siphoned off for personal use. By the time investors realized the platform had been abandoned, it was too late.
### **A Wider Problem in Football and Crypto**
The case highlights the risks of celebrity-backed crypto ventures. “People see big names like football stars and think it’s a safe bet, but that trust can be exploited,” said Mohith Agadi, founder of decentralized fact-checking system Fact Protocol.
Spain’s 2021 ban on gambling sponsorships pushed football clubs toward crypto deals, but many have ended in disaster. Multiple La Liga teams are now suing crypto sponsors for unpaid fees, with some left with little more than “defaults, complaints, and an experience to forget,” as one industry insider put it.
As Agadi noted, blockchain’s transparency doesn’t always prevent fraud—sometimes, it just makes scams harder to trace. For now, the court’s investigation continues, leaving investors and fans wondering whether justice will catch up with those behind the collapse.
*Edited by Sebastian Sinclair*
