Six Former Seville FC Players Indicted in Shirtum Crypto Fraud Scheme, Investor Losses Exceed €24 Million

According to Cryptopolitan, six former Seville FC players were indicted on suspicion of involvement in the Shirtum crypto fraud scheme, with investor losses exceeding €24 million (approximately $28 million). The players named in the criminal complaint are Papu Gómez, Lucas Ocampos, Ivan Rakitić, Nico Pareja, Alberto Moreno, and Javier Saviola.

The Barcelona court investigation revealed that Shirtum sold counterfeit NFTs and manipulated tokens to investors. The NFTs, marketed as digital collectibles featuring player photos and recordings priced at approximately €450 each, were never minted on any blockchain and could not be transferred or resold. Additionally, promoters collected approximately €3 million in BNB from investors for iOS and Android app development, but the applications were never launched and funds were not refunded or accounted for. Thirteen Spanish investors have filed lawsuits at Barcelona's 5th investigative court claiming total financial loss.