A Spanish judge has ruled that an ongoing investigation into potential fraud in "Messi & Friends" exhibition matches, played in summer '12 and '13, should be undertaken by prosecutors in Barcelona, according to Dermot Corrigan of ESPN. Spanish Guardia Civil investigators have been looking into whether these exhibition games, in which Lionel Messi's charitable foundation had a role, "were used by Colombian drug traders to launder money." Spanish news agency Efe reported that authorities in Madrid "have asked that the case be moved to Barcelona where it can then be determined if any defrauding of the public purse has taken place." No ruling has been made on any of the evidence, but it has been decided that "Barcelona judges have competency as the 28-year-old lives in the Catalan capital." "Messi & Friends" games were played in '13 in Medellín, Lima, Chicago and L.A. In '12 a similar schedule saw matches in Bogotá, Cancún and Miami. Messi and three then-Barcelona teammates -- Javier Mascherano, Jose Pinto and Dani Alves -- reportedly gave testimony to Guardia Civil investigators gathering evidence back in Nov. '13 (ESPN, 9/29).
