Portuguese transfers and financial impropriety?

Classical Mechanic

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I saw this article posted in the Joao Felix thread

https://en.as.com/en/2019/06/29/football/1561795799_628325.html

Every summer there's weird stuff going on with transfers from Portuguese football. United obviously have first hand experience of this with the Bebe debacle a few years back.

You have the Portuguese press hyping up players and linking them constantly with sides like United only for these moves to be completely fabricated. Felix was linked with a big money move to City and United in the Portuguese press only to go to a club with strong Mendes links for an absurd fee.

Then we have Bruno Fernandes, linked with United every day but there seems to be no real interest there. City were strangely keen to make it known that they have no interest in the player. Is there some Mendes influence here, will we see him move to a Mendes club for a massive fee? He seems to be represented by an agency called Positionnumber so maybe some of our Portuguese posters know if there's a link?
 

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I saw this article posted in the Joao Felix thread

https://en.as.com/en/2019/06/29/football/1561795799_628325.html

Every summer there's weird stuff going on with transfers from Portuguese football. United obviously have first hand experience of this with the Bebe debacle a few years back.

You have the Portuguese press hyping up players and linking them constantly with sides like United only for these moves to be completely fabricated. Felix was linked with a big money move to City and United in the Portuguese press only to go to a club with strong Mendes links for an absurd fee.

Then we have Bruno Fernandes, linked with United every day but there seems to be no real interest there. City were strangely keen to make it known that they have no interest in the player. Is there some Mendes influence here, will we see him move to a Mendes club for a massive fee? He seems to be represented by an agency called Positionnumber so maybe some of our Portuguese posters know if there's a link?
Bruno Fernandes agent is Miguel Pinho, not Jorge Mendes, the Felix transfer was related with that.

There are 3 or 4 daily football newspapers who are always doing that shit, but the worse are “A Bola” linked to Benfica, “Record” and “Correio da Manhã “.

Quite clear Gestifute from Jorge Mendes has strong links to those papers, but if you want my opinion football clubs don’t buy players based on newspapers, if anything it’s a few superagents who control the market.

Yes Bebe was from Gestifute, as previously Anderson, Nani and Ronaldo, not sure Mendes is involved with Fernandes.

Don’t take those links seriously they are as credible like the Sun or even worse.

Regarding the laundering, well that Felix transfer at best was a nice factoring operation with a lot of propaganda at best, but it’s UEFA or FIFA who need to regulate the transfer market, and it’s obvious they don’t do much.

Don’t know if I can say more than this.
 

Classical Mechanic

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Bruno Fernandes agent is Miguel Pinho, not Jorge Mendes, the Felix transfer was related with that.

There are 3 or 4 daily football newspapers who are always doing that shit, but the worse are “A Bola” linked to Benfica, “Record” and “Correio da Manhã “.

Quite clear Gestifute from Jorge Mendes has strong links to those papers, but if you want my opinion football clubs don’t buy players based on newspapers, if anything it’s a few superagents who control the market.

Yes Bebe was from Gestifute, as previously Anderson, Nani and Ronaldo, not sure Mendes is involved with Fernandes.

Don’t take those links seriously they are as credible like the Sun or even worse.

Regarding the laundering, well that Felix transfer at best was a nice factoring operation with a lot of propaganda at best, but it’s UEFA or FIFA who need to regulate the transfer market, and it’s obvious they don’t do much.

Don’t know if I can say more than this.
I wasn't thinking that clubs buy players based on newspapers more that they use the papers to create the impression of a legitimate market for the players. If say, A Madrid, paid all that money for Felix out of nowhere it would seem suspicious but it seems slightly less so if they appear to beat two rich clubs to the signing.
 

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I wasn't thinking that clubs buy players based on newspapers more that they use the papers to create the impression of a legitimate market for the players. If say, A Madrid, paid all that money for Felix out of nowhere it would seem suspicious but it seems slightly less so if they appear to beat two rich clubs to the signing.
I think you got right the definition of the Euromendes train. If you check certain movements they always flow between the same clubs. It’s quite obvious for me that transfer involves a factoring operation from certain financial institutions associated with certain foreign investors, who are major investors in some top European Leagues.

While here it’s blatantly obvious, don’t think English football is safe from that circuit. Don’t want to say much now, but only a restrictive number of agents have the power to do this.

And he isn’t the only one, but coming from Portugal yes it’s always him.

I am not from UEFA not FIFA, but I don’t know what’s legal or illegal regarding this.

 

Ish

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@Classical Mechanic thanks for the link. I’ve read a few posts on here over the years alluding to such - especially where Mendes and third party ownership rights are involved. Nothing concrete though.

On this topic, the article poses the question about money laundering. But it doesn’t say much of anything. How could it be money laundering though? If it’s an open market transaction, and unless Benfica and A Madrid have the same sets of shareholders (they might well have but I doubt it?) - surely whoever signed him for A Madrid for that price would need to answer to the shareholders if anything seemed suspicious?

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve never been on board the Felix muppet train - purely because of the absurd prices being touted. So I suppose, because I don’t know much, I guess I’m asking why Atletico would purposefully help Benfica to launder money? What do they gain out of it, outside of taking risk of massively overpaying for a player they might take a loss on if he doesn’t perform?

I understand the world of super agents etc. so I don’t dispute their influence. Just not sure the link actually says much about how this amounts to money laundering.
 

Classical Mechanic

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@Classical Mechanic thanks for the link. I’ve read a few posts on here over the years alluding to such - especially where Mendes and third party ownership rights are involved. Nothing concrete though.

On this topic, the article poses the question about money laundering. But it doesn’t say much of anything. How could it be money laundering though? If it’s an open market transaction, and unless Benfica and A Madrid have the same sets of shareholders (they might well have but I doubt it?) - surely whoever signed him for A Madrid for that price would need to answer to the shareholders if anything seemed suspicious?

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve never been on board the Felix muppet train - purely because of the absurd prices being touted. So I suppose, because I don’t know much, I guess I’m asking why Atletico would purposefully help Benfica to launder money? What do they gain out of it, outside of taking risk of massively overpaying for a player they might take a loss on if he doesn’t perform?

I understand the world of super agents etc. so I don’t dispute their influence. Just not sure the link actually says much about how this amounts to money laundering.
The article doesn’t say much granted, it’s just an accusation by an MEP.

As for what they could stand to gain, their business with Mendes has helped elevate them into one of the best sides in Europe. There could be possible financial kick backs etc. I don’t think a motive is hard to imagine.
 

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The article doesn’t say much granted, it’s just an accusation by an MEP.

As for what they could stand to gain, their business with Mendes has helped elevate them into one of the best sides in Europe. There could be possible financial kick backs etc. I don’t think a motive is hard to imagine.
Aaargh, for sure. I don’t disagree with kick backs and the influence mendes has etc. I was more specifically trying to ascertain how the accusation of money laundering came about. Unless my understanding of money laundering is a bit off.
 

Classical Mechanic

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Aaargh, for sure. I don’t disagree with kick backs and the influence mendes has etc. I was more specifically trying to ascertain how the accusation of money laundering came about. Unless my understanding of money laundering is a bit off.
Indeed, perhaps laundering is wrong term and some sort of financial impropriety would be more reasonable. Something like money disappearing off shore through third party ownership.

I’ve changed the title.
 

Ish

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Indeed, perhaps laundering is wrong term and some sort of financial impropriety would be more reasonable. Something like money disappearing off shore through third party ownership.

I’ve changed the title.
Yeah agree with you, though your title wasn’t incorrect as laundering was exactly what the MEP was referencing!

Would have liked to know what she meant by the term but I suppose it’s closer to what your current title actually is.