MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 23: Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates as he scores their third goal during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at Estadio Bernabeu on April 23, 2017 in Madrid, Spain.
Former FC Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu was arrested as the police continue to investigate the “BarcaGate” scandal.
Along with Bartomeu, who resigned from his position last year, Bartomeu’s advisor Jaume Masferrer, legal services chief Roman Gomez Ponti and the club’s CEO Oscar Grau were also detained.
Reports claim that Bartomeu and other club officials are linked with “BarcaGate”, a scandal that involved hiring a company called I3 at an inflated rate to attack FC Barcelona players including current players Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique on social media, while boosting the image of club officials.
The Catalan club released a statement that indicated the club’s cooperation with authorities investigating the issue. The statement said, “Regarding the entry and search by the Catalan Police force this morning at the Camp Nou offices by order of the Instructing Court number 13 in Barcelona, which is in charge of the case relating to the contacting of monitoring services on social networks, FC Barcelona have offered up their full collaboration to the legal and police authorities to help make clear facts which are subject to investigation.”
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“FC Barcelona have offered up their full collaboration to the legal and police authorities to help make clear facts which are subject to investigation. The information and documentation requested by the judicial police force relate strictly to the facts relative to this case.
“FC Barcelona express its great respect for the judicial process in place and for the principle of presumed innocence for the people affected within the remit of this investigation.”
In response to the incident, presidential candidate Joan Laporta claimed that these arrests “greatly damage the image and reputation of our club”.
Another candidate, Toni Freixa claimed, “Too many people wanting to hurt Barça. We will not allow it”.
The FC Barcelona presidential elections will be held in less than a week, with Laporta, Freixa and Victor Font all competing for the position.
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