Four former Argentine national team players are implicated in a scandal in Spain: they were reported in an alleged multi-million dollar cryptocurrency scam.

Argentine footballers Alejandro "Papu" Gómez , Lucas Ocampos , Nicolás Pareja and Javier Saviola , along with Croatian Iván Rakitic and Spaniard Alberto Moreno, are listed in an investigation for an alleged cryptocurrency scam in Seville, Spain, which is estimated to be around 3 million euros .

Barcelona's Investigating Court No. 5 is investigating a scheme that involved a massive scam involving cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Six individuals who allegedly played for Sevilla at different stages are named as defendants.

According to the El Periódico website, which was reported by El Diario de Sevilla , the amount of the possibly fraudulent operation could reach a magnitude greater than estimated so far.

An expert report prepared by blockchain technology experts estimates that those affected could number in the thousands, reported Diario de Sevilla . Mundo Deportivo , for its part, reported that the business model promised the creation and commercialization of NFTs linked to exclusive moments of elite soccer players.

To access them, interested investors had to purchase a cryptocurrency belonging to the ecosystem, called $SHI , issued by Shirtum. But the fund apparently disappeared afterward.

The complaint was filed by a dozen affected parties , all residents of Spain. The complaint is directed against Shirtum Europa SLU , its subsidiaries in Andorra, and four of its sponsors, including Argentine and Catalan businessmen. They were reportedly identified as David Rozencwaig (a friend of Papu Gómez), Manuel Ángel Torras , his son Marc Alberto Torras , and Manuel Morillas .

They are accused of eleven crimes , including fraud, misappropriation of funds, dishonest administration, money laundering, false advertising, tax fraud, market manipulation, and concealment of assets.

"Criminal liability is subject to the existence of intent, that is, the deliberate and conscious intention to commit a crime," lawyer Ángel Seisdedos explained to Spanish media.