Barcelona accused of fraud in Marcos Alonso transfer deal

Football Club Barcelona just can't seem to catch a break especially away from the pitch. Following the explosion of their referee payout scandal earlier this week, their signing of Marcos Alonso from Chelsea FC has now been reported to FIFA for fraud.

Spanish fourth division side Union Adarve, where Alonso played in his youth, are alleging that they are owed £91,000 (€103,000) as part of the player's move from the Premier League side to Barcelona in September 2022.

Union Adarve apparently owns formation rights on Alonso, and they believe that the free transfer that took place was fraudulent. Chelsea released Alonso from his contract at the last minute during the summer transfer window, leaving him free for the Catalan giants to snatch up.

According to Diario AS, Union Adarve claims to have evidence that negotiations for Alonso had previously taken place between the two clubs, and his move is actually part of a two-fold deal that also included Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's move in the other direction.

Alonso accepted a massive pay cut to join Barcelona, allowing the cash-strapped club to get closer within La Liga's salary cap. His reduced salary was just one of many cost-cutting measures that the club has resorted to in order to be able to register their first team squad.

His "free transfer" from Chelsea will likely be investigated by FIFA following the report made by Union Adarve. The case calls to mind a similar legal battle over the transfer of Neymar Jr. from Brazilian side Santos to Barcelona in 2013. Those charges however, were brought against the player and his agents instead of the club. The case has since been dismissed after a lengthy battle.

It remains to be seen if Barcelona will be able to iron out the Marcos Alonso situation in the same way. They still have a number of issues to resolve, including the fact that their elimination from the group stage of the UEFA Champions League has slashed their expected revenue this season by at least £18million.

The coming transfer windows will remain difficult for the club as they struggle to climb their way out of their financial crisis. Likewise, they are seeking to avoid relegation or other sanctions after having paid €1.4m (£1.2m) to the vice president of Spain's refereeing body, José María Enríquez Negreira from 2016-2018.