Famous Footballers Named In Multi-million NFT Scam

An NFT scam shakes the professional football world. In Spain, six top-level players, including an Argentine world champion and two former FC Barcelona stars, are targeted by a judicial investigation. Accused of lending their image to a blockchain project resembling a fraud, they allegedly helped trap thousands of investors. The case, with complex financial ramifications, reveals possible abuses when sports fame and crypto technologies intertwine without safeguards.

A multi-million euro scam at the heart of Barcelona

While many crypto exchanges like Binance warn about the resurgence of scams involving fake tokens, a judicial investigation opened by the Barcelona court informs about a suspected fraud involving NFTs linked to the football world.

Twelve complaints have been filed in Spain, but according to estimates, the number of victims could number in the thousands.

Indeed, the company Shirtum Europa SLU, specialized in selling NFTs representing professional football players, which were supposed to be exchangeable via an app… never saw the light of day.

The facts noted by investigators are precise and particularly serious :

• NFTs sold for more than €450 each, based on videos and images of well-known players ;
• A platform announced but never launched, leaving investors unable to use their assets ;
• Funds embezzled for personal purposes, according to the indictment ;
• Estimated damages exceeding €3 million, likely with wider impact ;
• Formal charges against Shirtum and its Andorran subsidiary, as well as their leaders.

The latter, David Rozencwaig, Manel Ángel Torras, Marc Alberto Torras, and Manuel Morillas, are charged with eleven counts, including fraud, embezzlement, false advertising, market manipulation, and money laundering.

Investigators believe they orchestrated a sophisticated operation using athletes’ fame to legitimize a technically hollow project whose goal was purely speculative.

Football stars caught up in judicial turmoil

Among the names mentioned in the complaint are well-known international football personalities: Alejandro Papu Gómez, world champion with Argentina, Javier Saviola and Ivan Rakitić, two former FC Barcelona players, as well as Lucas Ocampos, Alberto Moreno, and Nico Pareja.

While investigators do not consider them the masterminds of the operation, their active role in promoting the Shirtum project is highlighted. The promoters of Shirtum benefited from the collaboration of the footballers, led by Papu Gómez, whose friendship with David Rozencwaig, one of the company’s founders, is emphasized.

The footballers allegedly lent their image and participated in promotional videos to legitimize the platform, which facilitated investor confidence. However, the promised application was never launched, and the NFTs purchased today hold no value or concrete utility.

Although the players claim they did not have a decision-making role in the company’s management, their involvement raises questions, particularly regarding the boundary between promotional collaboration and moral co-responsibility.

The case could have serious legal consequences for Shirtum’s leaders but raises profound questions about the use of fame in the crypto world. As European regulators prepare to tighten rules around crypto advertising, this case could set a precedent on influencers’, including athletes’, duty of care in promoting financial products. As hearings progress, the Shirtum scandal might well become a textbook case of possible abuses in the Web3 era.