Ex-Barca president arrested

Former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell was arrested on Tuesday in a money laundering operation related to image rights in the Brazilian national football team, a police spokesman told AFP.

The operation was mainly carried out in the north-eastern region of Catalonia and for the moment "there are four or five detainees, including the former president of Barça, Sandro Rosell, and his wife," the police spokesman said.

The investigation focuses on "money laundering in companies linked to the image rights of the Brazilian football team," police added.

Businessman Rosell, 53, was manager of sporting goods giants Nike in Brazil and oversaw the contract for the national team to wear the US brand, before taking over as president of Barcelona in 2010.

Rosell resigned as Barcelona president in 2014 after being charged over alleged tax fraud relating to the club's signing of Brazil striker Neymar from Santos. He was later cleared of all charges.