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FC Barcelona: Police Raid Stadium In Financial Crimes Investigation

Journalists line the front gate of FC Barcelona offices on Monday during a police operation inside.
Lluis Gene
/
AFP via Getty Images
Journalists line the front gate of FC Barcelona offices on Monday during a police operation inside.

Catalan police raided the FC Barcelona stadium on Monday, and there are reports that the club's former president and three others have been arrested.

The police said several searches and seizures were carried out by its financial crimes unit, but did not give additional details.

Local media reported those arrested are former club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, current club CEO Òscar Grau, head of legal services Román Gómez Pontí, and Jaume Masferrer, an adviser to Bartomeu. NPR has not independently confirmed these reports.

The police action follows last year's "Barça-gate" – an affair in which club officials allegedly hired a marketing firm to discredit critics of then-president Bartomeu, using methods including fake social media accounts. Among those supposedly targeted by the firm's activities were Barcelona stars Lionel Messi and Gerard Piqué and former coach Pep Guardiola.

The club denied any wrongdoing and released an independent audit of its relationship with the marketing firm.

FC Barcelona confirmed Monday's raid at its famed Camp Nou stadium and said it was cooperating fully. The raid comes less than a week before the club elects its next president.

"The information and documentation requested by the judicial police force relate strictly to the facts relative to this case," it said in a statement. "FC Barcelona express its utmost respect for the judicial process in place and for the principle of presumed innocence for the people affected within the remit of this investigation."

The club has been mired in debt related to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as ongoing political turmoil. Bartomeu resigned last year amid a deteriorating relationship with Messi, who may leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Laurel Wamsley is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She reports breaking news for NPR's digital coverage, newscasts, and news magazines, as well as occasional features. She was also the lead reporter for NPR's coverage of the 2019 Women's World Cup in France.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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