Prosecutors have named prominent figures in the case, including World Cup winners “Papu” Gómez and Lucas Ocampos, along with ex-Barcelona players Ivan Rakitić and Javier Saviola, plus Nico Pareja and Alberto Moreno. The complaint details that Shirtum’s operators built credibility by presenting the footballers as company founders and public ambassadors. Shirtum priced some NFTs above $513 each, but investors never saw a functioning marketplace.
Investigators say the project’s core was a complex corporate structure across Spain and Andorra, allegedly designed to avoid tax and limit personal liability. According to financial reports filed with the court, significant funds flowed out of investor accounts but never reached a legitimate product rollout. Shirtum cited two “massive crypto thefts” in 2022, claiming the company suffered from a , but no police reports were ever filed to back up these claims.
Victims claim that the Shirtum promoters misused the money by using it for personal needs instead of developing the promised platform. The footballers involved engaged in the systematic removal of Shirtum-related content on their social media following the platform’s collapse. Prosper Lamothe, an economics professor who has studied financial flows, called the company’s structure opaque and tax evasive.
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