Former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell was arrested by Spanish police on Tuesday as part of a corruption investigation into the sale of Brazilian national team media rights. The codename of the operation was “Rimet” after Jules Rimet, the former FIFA president.
Rosell’s ties to Brazilian soccer go back to the 1990s when he negotiated the $160 milliondeal that Nike signed with the Brazilian federation. He was marketing director for Nike in Latin America.
That deal involving “”Sportswear Company A” is believed to be what U.S.authorities referenced in the 2015 indictment centered around the activities of Traffic boss Jose Hawilla.