Barcelona’s Fifth District Court has launched a criminal investigation into a $3.4 million cryptocurrency fraud involving six high-profile professional footballers and the now-defunct NFT company Shirtum Europa SLU.
According to reports from El Periódico, the case centers around accusations that Shirtum, a Spanish-Argentinian joint venture, lured investors into purchasing non-functional NFTs using the in-house token $SHI.
These NFTs were marketed as digital collectibles tied to the image rights of football stars.
The named players include World Cup winners Papu Gómez and Lucas Ocampos, along with former FC Barcelona stars Ivan Rakitić and Javier Saviola, and Spanish players Nico Pareja and Alberto Moreno.
The players are alleged to have acted as public ambassadors and “founders” of the project, significantly boosting its visibility before its abrupt collapse.
Fraud Allegations Highlight Complex Tax Evasion and Deceptive Promotion
Court documents reveal that the alleged masterminds behind Shirtum, Argentinian businessman David Rozencwaig and Catalan entrepreneurs Manel Ángel Torras.
Also, Manel Ángel Torras son Marc Alberto Torras, and Manuel Morillas, constructed a convoluted corporate structure spanning Spain and Andorra.
This structure was reportedly designed to obscure financial accountability and evade taxes. Prosecutors claim the NFTs, some of which were priced over $500, were never functional or tradable.
Expert analyses submitted as evidence describe the operation as deliberately opaque and financially unsound.
Notably, Shirtum’s promotional strategy heavily relied on the footballers’ reputations. These athletes publicly endorsed the venture as “founders” and actively promoted it across social media platforms.
They thereafter systematically deleted any traces of their involvement when the platform quietly shut down in 2022 following an unsubstantiated claim of a hack.
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Victims Allege Fabricated Hacking Claims and Misuse of Funds
In March 2022, Shirtum claimed to have been the target of two major crypto thefts and reported that it was hacked.
However, authorities have found no police reports to support this narrative, raising suspicion that the hacking claims may have been fabricated to cover up financial misconduct.
Investigators believe that, rather than being lost to cyberattacks, funds were siphoned off for personal use by those managing the company.
The platform was quietly closed without explanation, leaving thousands of investors with worthless tokens and no legal recourse.
Among the 12 victims who filed the legal complaint are individuals who invested based on trust in the players’ public endorsements.
The involvement of stars like Papu Gómez, who allegedly recruited others into the scheme and later erased all related social media posts, has intensified scrutiny and public outrage.
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Crypto Sponsorship Crisis in Spanish Football Exposed
The Shirtum case has brought broader concerns about the role of cryptocurrency firms in Spanish football into sharp focus.
After Spain implemented a gambling advertisement ban in 2021, many La Liga clubs turned to crypto companies to fill the sponsorship void.
However, these partnerships have frequently ended in conflict, with several clubs now involved in legal disputes over unpaid sponsorship deals.
The Shirtum scandal has become emblematic of the volatility and risk associated with crypto endorsements in sports.
As Mohith Agadi, founder of the Fact Protocol, noted, “People see big names like football stars and think it’s a safe bet, but that trust can be exploited.”
The growing trend highlights how the absence of regulation and due diligence in the crypto space can result in widespread financial harm, even when projects are fronted by celebrities or sports icons.
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