Real Madrid’s signing of Gareth Bale is the "big news" in Brussels. Catalan radio station RAC1 reported three European MPs are calling for an "investigation into the purchase of the Welsh striker, on the grounds that the club bought the player using money provided by banks that had been rescued using public funds, and that this represented illegal state aid." That is, that Real Madrid "indirectly used money provided by Europe for the bank bail-outs and this in turn was eventually a burden for the Spanish taxpayer" (AS, 2/17). ... Barcelona is monitoring Neymar's football activity this summer. The player has two tournaments with the Brazilian national team (the Copa América and the Olympics) and "this is something that concerns his club." He would "barely have any rest" before the start of Barcelona's '16-17 season, so the club is looking to "establish conditions for the Brazilian to play in the Olympics." Barça reportedly would like the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) to pay his salary throughout the Olympics and is "also demanding a million-dollar insurance policy in case he is injured" (AS, 2/17).
