Former Barcelona President Laporta, Seven Ex-Board Members Ordered to Pay $30M

Former Barcelona President Joan Laporta and "seven of his former board members will have to pay" a total of €23.2M ($29.5M), or €2.9M ($3.7M) each after club member Vicenç Pla "filed a lawsuit against them," according to MARCA. Pla "believed that they should have deposited a security fund and the Supreme Court ruled in his favour." Pla had "not enforced the ruling" in his favor until recently. Laporta, Josep Cubells, Rafael Yuste, Albert Perrín, Joan Boix, Alfons Castro, Jaume Ferrer and Alfons Godall believed at the time that "they did not have to deposit any funds, which they will now have to do having been found guilty for the losses" in the '02-03 financial year (MARCA, 10/21). In Madrid, Giménez & Llorens reported Plá took legal action when "Laporta and the seven members of his board failed to deposit a security fund" corresponding to 15% of the budget for the '06-07 season (AS, 10/21).