Barcelona's long-running legal saga over the transfer of Neymar has taken a new twist, as former president Joan Laporta entered the case against the current board.
Blaugrana president Josep Maria Bartomeu had accepted a bargain with Spanish tax authorities to resolve charges over alleged irregularities in the deal with Santos, conducted by predecessor Sandro Rosell in 2013.
But Laporta, a fierce critic of Rosell after handing over power at the Catalan giants, filed his own writ in the courts to stop the agreement going through.
The ex-president holds that Barcelona as an institution cannot be held responsible for the infractions committed in signing Neymar when there are individuals such as Rosell that can be found guilty.
He also objects to the €5.5 million fine negotiated with the authorities by the club, which Bartomeu accepted as a 'lesser evil' in order to halt the case.
Bartomeu refused to admit responsibility for the case, limiting himself to a comment that he "would have changed one intermediary or another" during talks with Santos, further infuriating Laporta. With the courts now involved in the feud, the bad blood at Barcelona shows no sign of residing in the near-future.
In this battle of individuals, only Barcelona can come out on the losing side. The Neymar case continues to be a shadow over the club, and while Laporta and Bartomeu have every right to defend their own interests it should not come to the detriment of the millions of fans Barca have worldwide. - Goal