The defense for Hércules’ current president, Carlos Parodi, filed a brief in court aimed at proving the leader’s innocence in the Abde case. The defense rejects the notion of any asset seizure crime, which the Prosecutor’s Office has alleged because of Abde’s transfer to Barcelona Football Club in 2021. The team protecting Parodi argues that Hércules has acted within the law for years and that the two million euros received for Abde’s departure were directed to public authorities, not retained by the club. The defense maintains that Hércules has shown a consistent plan to address its debts to public creditors since 2015.
Similarly, the defense contends that the division of checks issued by the Foundation to the blue and white club followed a mutual agreement governing the training of players and the club’s payroll responsibilities. It emphasizes timely payment to the Treasury and Social Security and to daily expenses. In this framework, the defense suggests that if assets were removed there would be no crime, and thus no guilt in the matter.
The attorney states that Abde’s departure to Barcelona was fully described in the Framework Cooperation Agreement signed on June 30, 2014. This agreement details four sections describing different fees the Foundation receives for selling young players or for their departure through the termination clause, as in Abde’s case. The first three sections cover sales of players who hold contracts with the main team, while the fourth covers players without a professional license. Accordingly, as with the Betis attacker, they remain professionally tied to the Foundation.
100 percent of Abde’s proceeds belonged to the foundation
The defense notes that in both transfer situations and unilateral contract terminations, the Foundation would hold 100 percent of the proceeds if the player originated from Formative programs, unless otherwise agreed. Hércules Foundation Football and Hércules Club de Fútbol, at the time of transfer or contract termination, did not have a first team professional contract under SAD terms, according to section 4.
The defense lawyer explains that the approval of the check rested on matters agreed in ANNEX I dated June 30, 2014 within the Framework Cooperation Agreement from June 14, 2011 between HCF and COVAHER. According to this annex, COVAHER (the Foundation’s name in its correspondence) and Abde were entitled to collect 100 percent of the termination clause. The first reason is that the player came through the foundation’s training; the second reason is that he did not hold a contract with the A team on August 31, 2021.
The attorney adds that the coincidence of these circumstances led the HCF check to be endorsed to COVAHER on the last day of the summer transfer window. For this reason, the blue and white SAD president’s lawyer argues that an endorsement of the foundation’s check issued by Barcelona to Hércules CF cannot be understood as a divestment of assets. It is presented as an act tied to the agreement concluded on June 30, 2014, which creates obligations that could delay, hinder, or prevent enforcement actions while remaining compliant with the law.
The defense seeks to convince the judge of Parodi’s innocence by laying out all steps Hércules has followed since receiving the two million. The aim is to show that everything complied with the law and that there was no attempt to conceal income from tax authorities or to commit asset-taking crimes, as the Prosecutor has claimed.
A renewed cooperation framework
The Spanish Football Federation’s new classification and the removal of Hércules from the Second B category reshaped ties between youth football and the first team, prompting a fresh draft agreement. On the day Abde’s departure to Can Barça was formalized, a deposit guarantee agreement was signed between the club and the Foundation. Under this accord, the parties agreed that the Foundation would guarantee the normal operation of Hércules CF and ensure it could consistently meet obligations to suppliers and to payroll, tax authorities, and social security commitments, up to the levels of employee salaries and the check amounts involved, as stated by the president’s attorney.
The result was a division of the funds deposited on behalf of the Foundation into multiple portions. The 34 checks paid to the club, with expenses itemized in monthly reports, are cited by Parodi’s defense as the basis for absolving the head of the organization of the alleged crime. In support, the Tax Office is referenced with a report by the head of the Regional Collection Team of the Valencia Special Delegation. The defense asserts this report was intended to justify payments connected to Abde’s transfer, tax obligations, social security contributions, payroll, and debts to the AEAT.
In this narrative, Hércules did not proceed with additional payments toward future liabilities in a manner that would imply asset seizure. The defense characterizes the agreement as a legitimate framework with collateral-like protections that legitimate credit arrangements and ensure creditors are paid according to the established schedule.
Free admission and a cautious path forward
The prosecutor contends that the court proceedings have demonstrated a pattern of actions meant to avoid new embargoes and that the club’s finances have faced repeated scrutiny since 2017. The case outlines a plan to prevent further losses and describes attempts to drain the foundation’s bank account through a sequence of 60,000 euro checks and one 15,772 euro check to the Hércules entity. The defense responds by seeking a clean slate, arguing that there was no criminal liability and no reason to impose costs on the party involved. If no crime exists, there can be no author. A witness list includes figures from the Royal Spanish Football Federation to support the claim that payroll payments were essential for the survival and continuity of Hércules. Without payroll, the club would face a legal and operational setback, which is what many consider a vital necessity for Hércules and its ongoing persevering presence in Spanish football.