Top Football Stars Implicated in €3 Million NFT Scam

An NFT scam has sent shockwaves through the professional football world, with six top-level players, including an Argentine world champion and two former FC Barcelona stars, being targeted by a judicial investigation in Spain. The players are accused of lending their image to a blockchain project that has been deemed fraudulent, allegedly helping to trap thousands of investors in the process. The case, which has complex financial ramifications, highlights the potential abuses that can occur when sports fame and crypto technologies intersect without proper safeguards.

The investigation centers around Shirtum Europa SLU, a company specializing in selling NFTs representing professional football players. These NFTs, which were supposed to be exchangeable via an app, never materialized, leaving investors with worthless assets. The NFTs were sold for over €450 each, based on videos and images of well-known players, and the platform that was supposed to facilitate their exchange was never launched. Investigators have noted that funds were embezzled for personal purposes, with estimated damages exceeding €3 million and a likely wider impact.

Four individuals—David Rozencwaig, Manel Ángel Torras, Marc Alberto Torras, and Manuel Morillas—have been formally charged with eleven counts, including fraud, embezzlement, false advertising, market manipulation, and money laundering. Investigators believe these individuals orchestrated a sophisticated operation using athletes’ fame to legitimize a technically hollow project whose goal was purely speculative.

Among the footballers named in the complaint are 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.