In July 2022, FC Barcelona experienced a significant attempt at fraud when a scammer impersonated Pini Zahavi, the agent responsible for facilitating Robert Lewandowski’s transfer to the club from Bayern Munich, which cost the team 45 million euros. According to a thorough investigation conducted by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), in collaboration with various media outlets such as Cadena Ser and Der Standard, a fraudulent request for a payment of one million euros was initiated shortly after Lewandowski’s signing. This incident not only highlights the vulnerabilities faced by football clubs in the digital age but also demonstrates the extensive efforts of banking institutions to combat fraud.
The fraudulent scheme began when FC Barcelona received an email purportedly from Zahavi, which requested the substantial payment to a bank account in Cyprus. The bank account reportedly belonged to an individual identified as Michael Gerardus Hermanus Demon, labeled as a lawyer in the email. However, the request raised immediate concerns within the club as the email originated from an unfamiliar address, and the funds were to be directed to a different recipient—a clear deviation from standard procedures. Despite these warning signs, it was reported that Barcelona moved forward with the transfer, underscoring a lapse in verification protocols within the club’s financial operations.
The situation came to light in the spring of 2023 when the radio show ‘Que t’hi jugues’, which focuses on FC Barcelona, obtained the fraudulent email and shared it with investigative partners like OCCRP. Subsequent investigations revealed that before the transfer could be finalised, the transaction was flagged and blocked by the compliance officers at the Bank of Cyprus. They expressed concerns regarding the legitimacy of the account involved. The account holder, Demon, who claimed his identity had been stolen, expressed confusion over the incident and asserted that he had no affiliation with the fraudulent request.
In a further revelation, Pini Zahavi confirmed that he had no knowledge of the payment request and labelled the email a deceitful attempt to defraud FC Barcelona. Zahavi appreciated the quick actions taken by a director at the club, who reached out for clarification, which ultimately prevented the completion of the fraudulent transaction. Although FC Barcelona acknowledged the attempted fraud, the club opted not to file a formal complaint with the local authorities, deeming it unnecessary since no money was lost due to the timely intervention from the Bank of Cyprus.
The Bank of Cyprus stands by its rigorous processes for customer verification and insists on the authenticity of documentation used for opening accounts, which contributed to blocking the suspicious transaction. This incident shares a similar narrative with previous fraud cases in the footballing world, such as the scam that befell Italy’s Lazio in 2018 when the club inadvertently paid two million euros to fraudsters impersonating Feyenoord during a transfer deal. These cases illustrate the ever-increasing target potential within football finances and the importance of vigilance among clubs.
Financial expert Kieran Maguire, author of ‘The Price of Football: Understanding Football Club Finance’, remarked on the landscape of football finance, indicating how significant sums of money involved in the sport make it an attractive target for unsavory characters seeking illicit gains. Even small chunks of money within the realm of football finances can represent substantial sums, further emphasizing the critical need for robust transaction protocols and verification systems to avert potential fraud. The Barcelona incident serves as a cautionary tale of how football clubs must remain steadfast against such threats in an ever-evolving financial environment.
