article: And in recent years Barcelona, inspired by the brilliant Lionel Messi, managed to achieve untouchable status on the pitch at the same time as remaining true to that motto. If somebody thinks that there is damage to the name of Barcelona then there is damage to be repaired But things are changing at the Nou Camp. Not only has the team's form suffered since Pep Guardiola left at the end of 2012, there are now serious questions over the way this great club do business. When forward Neymar joined from the Brazilian team Santos last June, Barcelona said they paid a total of £48.6m. But one of their members, a pharmacist called Jordi Cases, asked the club whether this was really the final bill. When Barcelona refused to answer, he went to the Spanish courts who launched an investigation. From that point on the story really began to unravel. First the Spanish prosecutor said they would investigate the deal to see if the club had defrauded the treasury of unpaid tax. The club said they had nothing to hide but then in January, under intense public pressure, the club's president Sandro Rosell resigned. He said it was for personal reasons but Rosell had personally overseen the mission to land the 22-year-old, one of the hottest properties in world football. Shortly after Rosell's departure, his successor Josep Maria Bartomeu, called a news conference to reveal the true cost of signing Neymar was actually £71.5m. Between the initial fee paid in the summer, signing-on fee, wages during his five-year deal, agents fees and this latest tax payment, Neymar will have cost the club £106.8m In an unprecedented move, Bartomeu - a close ally and friend of Rosell who was vice president at the time of the signing - went further, explaining exactly where all the money had gone. There was a £33m compensation fee paid to Neymar's father to ensure he joined Barcelona. Santos got £14m. But there was also an £8m signing-on fee, a £6m fee for taking an option on future Santos players, £2m in agents fees (also paid to Neymar's father) and a further £2m to Neymar's charitable foundation in Brazil. The club also revealed that Neymar was being paid £9m a year in wages. The numbers are mind boggling. And I can't recall a major European club ever opening the books on a transfer in this way. It provides a fascinating insight into the sort of agreements and payments teams have to make to secure the top players - especially from South America where many stars are owned by companies and wealthy individuals rather than clubs. By unwrapping the deal in public, Barcelona hoped that the problem and the Spanish courts would go away. Media playback is not supported on this device If anything it only added to their determination to investigate the transfer and two weeks ago the judge Pablo Ruz announced the case would go ahead. That prompted Barcelona to pay £11m to the Spanish treasury as a "complimentary tax declaration". And yet the problem just won't go
summary: They pride themselves on being "mes que un club" - more than a club.