MADRID: The trial opens today in Madrid of former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell, wife Marta Pineda and four other business associates accused of skimming off commissions from Brazilian national team television rights.

Rosell and fellow accused Joan Besoli, his lawyer and close friend, have been held in prison for 641 days because Judge Carmen Lamela considered that his wealth made him a flight risk.

The assets of Rosell, assessed at €35m, have been frozen since his arrest.

All the six – Rosell , Pineda, Besoli, Shahe Ohannessian, Andres Ramos and Josep Colomer  – deny accusations of money laundering and belonging to a criminal organisation. The charges carry maximum jail terms of six and eight years respectively.

A complication for the prosecution concerns the stance of the Brazilian CBF which, although allegedly the injured party, has issued a statement expressing its satisfaction with the commercial work undertaken on its behalf over many years by Rosell.

Allegedly the six laundered €19.9m in commissions secured by former Brazilian CBF president Ricardo Teixeira for the broadcasting rights of 24 friendly matches of the Brazilian team and another €5m for a sponsorship contract with Nike.

Rosell was formerly Nike representative in Brazil and a close friend of Teixeira, the former son-in-law of long-time FIFA president Joao Havelange. Teixeira, who was a member for a decade of the world federation’s executive committee, is wanted in the United States on corruption charges relating to the so-called ‘FIFAGate’ investigation.

The prosecution is demanding an 11-year jail term for Rosell and fine of €59m; seven years in prison for Pineda; 10 years for Besolí; eight years for Ramos; seven years for Ohannessian and six years for Colomer.

The trial is expected to last until March 27.

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