Prosecutor's Office Alerted: Barcelona Under Investigation for Money Laundering

A complaint has been filed with the Spanish anti-corruption prosecutor's office against Barcelona, stemming from a sponsorship deal struck with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in mid-2025. The complaint, registered on May 5th, calls for an investigation into Barcelona's management and Didier Budimbu, the DRC's Minister of Sports, for alleged crimes including money laundering, abuse of power, and misappropriation of public funds.

The initiative for the complaint comes from Congolese citizens residing in Spain and is coordinated with another action related to a sponsorship deal the DRC itself signed with Monaco. A lawsuit regarding that case has already been filed in the principality's court since March 6th.

The document alleges that the sponsorship agreement between the Catalan club and the Congolese government violates Spanish criminal law. The prosecutor's office must now decide whether to dismiss the proceedings or accept them for consideration.

The suspicious agreement dates back to the 2024-25 season when Barcelona added the slogan "Visit Kongo Central" to their training kits. The contract, signed with the DRC's Ministry of Tourism, has not had its financial terms publicly disclosed. However, the complaint directly targets Didier Budimbu's management of public funds. The prosecutor's office is currently analyzing whether there is evidence of money laundering in the club's receipt of these funds. With the agreement signed with the Congolese government for a period of four seasons – until June 2029 – Barcelona secured revenue between 40 and 44 million euros, to be distributed over the four seasons.

In return, the sponsorship stipulates that first-team players will wear the name of the DRC on the back of their training jerseys, and a "DRC House" will be established at Camp Nou stadium.

The complainants describe the expenditure as a diversion of public resources that should be directed towards healthcare or education. Minister Budimbu defends the operation as an investment in promoting tourism, but the opposition in his country views it as wasteful.