The police raided the headquarters of F.C. Barcelona on Monday, seizing evidence and detaining four club officials. The arrests; on the eve of the club’s presidential election, created another crisis for a soccer behemoth brought low by crippling debt, boardroom infighting, and poor performances on the field.
A spokeswoman for Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalonia’s regional police force, said its economic crimes unit had seized evidence from Barcelona’s offices. She added that the investigation was continuing and that four people have been detained but, citing police policy, declined to name the individuals.
A statement from Barcelona read: “Given the entry of the local police at the club’s offices, per a court order relating to the hiring [of a third-party company] and monitoring services of social networks, FC Barcelona has offered its full support to judicial and police authorities and collaborated with them to clarify the facts that are the subject of the investigation.
“The information and documents required by the police were strictly relating to this case.
“FC Barcelona expresses its utmost respect for the judicial proceedings and also the presumption of innocence for the people affected by Monday’s events.”
Several news media outlets reported that the four people detained were prominent current and former executives of the club: the former president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, who resigned in December, shortly before he was to face a vote of no confidence; Oscar Grau, the club’s chief executive; Roman Gomez Ponti, head of legal services; and Jaume Masferrer, an adviser to Bartomeu.
Investigation
Investigators have been looking into Barcelona’s affairs for months; after incendiary revelations suggested the club had secretly hired an external marketing company to produce disparaging content about some of its most important and high-profile players, including Lionel Messi and Gerard Piqué.
The team denied any wrongdoing and hired a consultant; PWC; to complete an audit of its relationship with the marketing company, I3 Ventures, but the police continued their investigation.
The allegations were first made by a local radio station in February 2020. Evidence was revealed that showed that; as well as defending Bartomeu; I3 was behind a number of Facebook accounts that had attacked people related to the club; including players Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, former captain Xavi Hernandez, ex-manager Pep Guardiola and presidential candidates Victor Font and Agusti Benedito.
Bartomeu and Barca rescinded the contract with I3 immediately and denied all knowledge of the accounts. Bartomeu’s adviser Masferrer was later suspended after being held responsible for the club’s relationship with I3.
Masferrer later returned to his role working alongside Bartomeu, though, and no further action was taken internally following the publication of the external audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The raid on the club’s offices comes just days before more than 140,000 Barcelona members will elect Bartomeu’s successor; it is another hit to the reputation of a club; that for years had portrayed itself as a benchmark in world soccer. The team liked to portray itself as a team with values that put it in a class of its own; operated under the slogan, “More than a club.”