English
Things get bad to worse for former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu as he has been arrested by the Spanish police on Monday following a raid on the club’s offices. Bartomeu was heavily involved in the infamous ‘BarcaGate’ scandal which harmed the images of the several Barcelona greats.
In the ‘BarcaGate’ scandal, Bartomeu hired I3 Ventures to protect his reputation as several campaigns were started anonymously to harm the images of club greats like Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Pep Guardiola and other legends, as well as outspoken critics of the club president.
Barcelona captain Messi took a solid stance over the situation as he also lashed out at the then sports director Eric Abidal on Tuesday after he criticized the players’ efforts.
“Honestly, I don’t like to do this kind of thing, but I think everyone has to be responsible for their roles and take responsibility for their decisions,” Messi posted on an Instagram story. “We (players) are the first to acknowledge when we don’t play well. Those in charge of the sports department also have to be held accountable for their responsibilities and, above all, for their decisions.”
Earlier, asked by interviewer Jordi Evole how Bartomeu cheated him, Messi replied with a laugh: “In many things, the truth is in many things.
“I prefer not to talk about private things that happened, I am not going to bring up what was said and what was promised, but I can assure you that many, many times in several years.”
Meanwhile, Bartomeu and his board of directors resigned last year after the club captain and legend Lionel Messi openly criticized him in the media.
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been arrested on Monday by the Spanish police. The 58-year-old was arrested for his involvement in the ‘BarcaGate’ smear campaign scandal during his tenure as Barcelona president.
On Monday morning, in a search and seize operation, the Spanish police put a raid on the club’s offices.
Barcelona CEO Oscar Grau and Roman Gómez Ponti, the club’s lead of legal, were also arrested.
In the infamous ‘BarcaGate’ scandal, the club officials were accused of launching a smear campaign against current and former players who were critical of the club and then-president Bartomeu.
The Spanish police have admitted that the arrests have been made after the raid but they refused to announce the name. According to sources in Spain Bartomeu and Grau are among those, as well as Gomez Ponti and Jaume Masferrer, Bartomeu’s former right-hand man.
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest Sports News on India.com.
