Barçagate news summary 1 March | Former FC Barcelona president Bartomeu detained
Barçagate live updates
What is Barçagate? Some further reading to give some insight on the case.
Barcelona official statement on Barçagate: club offers "full collaboration"
Barcelona official statement on Barçagate: club offers "full collaboration"
The Catalan club released an official statement after their offices were searched by police this morning in relation to "monitoring services on social networks".
Bartomeu and Masferrer will spend the night in jail
Former FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu will spend the night in the Les Corts police station, according to Catalan-based journalist Alfredo Martínez.
Bartomeu was arrested earlier on Monday for his involvement in the Barçagate scandal.
Bartomeu remains silent after arrest
Former FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, on the advice of his lawyers, kept silent at the Les Corts police station this evening. Jaume Masferrer and Romà Gómez Ponti also remained silent. It remains to be seen whether or not they will spend the night at Les Corts police station.
Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font: "It's a very sad day for FC Barcelona"
"Today is a sad day for Barça. This seriously damages the image of the club so it is essential to make a more transparent club," Font said.
Barça's goal of the season
As we await meaningful statements from the men allegedly involved in this, the club's social media team have posed an unrelated question to their fans.
I say unrelated, but some have suggested the 'Barçagate' own-goal deserves a few votes!
Statements expected imminently
The statements of Josep Maria Bartomeu, Romá Gómez Ponti, Òscar Grau and Jaume Masferrer are scheduled for 18:30 at the Les Corts police station.
The question is whether they will remain in custody until they are brought before the courts or whether they will be released and summoned on another day.
What is Barçagate? The keys to the Barcelona and I3 Ventures scandal
Keys to the Barçagate scandal
A summary of the relationship between I3 Ventures and Barcelona.
Barca 'deeply regret' Bartomeu arrest - Laporta
Laporta responds to Barçagate
Big regrets over latest scandal to hit the Catalan club. Listen to the man likely to succeed Josep Bartomeu as president talk about today's events.
Messi hat-trick post-Barçagate?
A close follower of all things Barça and Argentina related, Roy Nemer jokingly predicts a positive reaction on the pitch from Barcelona's talisman.
Radio silence from FCB players
It's been a relatively quiet day on social media for FC Barcelona first team players with no-one commenting on the office search and Bartomeu detention.
Bartomeu resigns and announces Super League plans in exit speech
Bartomeu's Barcelona exit speech
Josep Maria Bartomeu stood down as FCB club president in a speech late on 28 October where he announced that the Catalan side had signed up to play in a possible European Super League.
Relive the highlights from the exit speech here:
Former Barcelona president Rosell released in 2019
Many journalists and analysts have been cautious to cast judgement on the Barçagate affair with the Sandro Rosell case fresh in many people's minds.
The ex-FC Barcelona president was given a conditional release from jail in February 2019, he was cleared of any wrongdoing in April 2019 on charges of fraud and money laundering
Catalan police finish Camp Nou search
Local police finished up their search at the Camp Nou offices around 16:00 CET today with the two detainees (Óscar Grau, FCB CEO along with head of legal Romá Gómez Ponti) set to be taken to the Les Corts police station in the Catalan capital.
Barcelona official statement on Barçagate: club offers "full collaboration"
Barcelona official statement on Barçagate: club offers "full collaboration"
The Catalan club released an official statement after their offices were searched by police this morning in relation to "monitoring services on social networks".
I3 Ventures offices also searched by Catalan police
SER Catalunya maintain that local police also raided the Barcelona head office of social media I3 Ventures along with those of Nicestream and Telam Partners. The homes of Josep Maria Bartomeu & his advisor Jaume Masferrer were also searched.
Silence from Font
Of the three FCB presidential candidates, only Victor Font has yet to make a statement or comment on this morning's activity relating to the club. This is surprising given that the 48-year-old has been a long term detractor of former Barcelona president Bartomeu.
Members of the Mossos d'Esquadra at FC Barcelona's Camp Nou offices this morning.
FC Barcelona statement in English
After issuing statements on the matter in Catalan and Spanish, the LaLiga side also offered their position in English
Bartomeu expects to be home tomorrow
Catalan journalist Carme Barceló was on TV show Jugones earlier stating that: "Bartomeu has been in touch with his family to reassure them that all is well and that he hopes to be at home on Tuesday".
Latest reports from the Catalan capital point to Óscar Grau, FCB CEO along with head of legal Romá Gómez Ponti giving evidence to the police at Camp Nou with both Josep Maria Bartomeu and his advisor when president Jaume Masferrer at the Les Corts police station still being questioned.
With just over 2,000 followers on Twitter, Dignitat Blaugrana are the Barcelona penya (supporters group) who requested that the I3 Ventures contract be investigated legally last summer which led to the first raid on the FCB club offices in July 2020.
More from candidate Laporta on Monday's FCB events
Laporta: “We want to show our maximum respect for judicial and police business and also for the presumption of innocence. We regret to see such events that damage the image and reputation of the football club"
As of 15:00 CET, Josep Maria Bartomeu remained in the Les Corts police station and was still undergoing questioning by local Mossos d'Esquadra.
Barçagate: How much did Barcelona pay I3 Ventures for their social media campaign?
Barçagate: How much did Barcelona pay I3 Ventures for their social media campaign?
In February 2020, a story broke claiming that FC Barcelona paid media group I3 Ventures to organise a social media campaign against key Barça figures.
Toni Freixa speaking on Movistar + wondering why the actions were taken by the Catalan police today in the very same week as the club's presidential elections. Of the three candidates Freixa is the most loyal to the Bartomeu regime and his earlier tweet claimed that there are those 'who want to destabilize' FC Barcelona.
Barcelona issue a statement
FCB communique to confirm that the Catalan police were at Camp Nou investigating social media services contract, with the police retrieving documents relating to this case. Club are cooperating while also presuming innocence of all the implicated individuals at this point.
Latest news on Barçagate via Què T'hi Jugues
- The VPN system that allows you to connect to work remotely has been cut off
- Different department heads are currently testifying in the offices
- Workers are not being permitted to use their places of work
Bartomeu detention high on Euro sport press agenda
The likes of L'Equipe (France), Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport or Lisbon based Record all lead with the detention of the former FCB president this morning.
Who is the former FCB president, Josep Maria Bartomeu?
A neat potted animated history on Bartomeu from the folk at Tifo Football is particularly apt for a day like today.
Of the three presidential candidates, Victor Font (long time Bartomeu detractor) has yet to comment on the office search and subsequent detentions.
As of 13:25 CET and according to SER Catalunya, the official position from FC Barcelona is that the club is "not aware of any detentions" as local Catalan police continue to search the offices and question club employees at Camp Nou.
Barçagate: Which Barcelona players were affected by the I3 Ventures social media posts?
Barçagate: Which Barcelona players were affected by the I3 Ventures social media posts?
Leo Messi and Gerard Piqué were supposedly the targets of a campaign allegedly orchestrated from inside the club. The defender asked Bartomeu for explanations.
Presidential candidate Freixa reacts to FCB detentions
The candidate took to Twitter after this morning's news and posted a defiant: "Too many people wanting to hurt Barça. We will not allow it. You'll never Walk Alone"
Former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker gives his view on the latest scandal to affect the LaLiga side.
Former Barça president Bartomeu arrested after club offices raided
Former Barça president Bartomeu arrested after club offices raided
Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu was arrested on Monday after Catalan police officers searched the La Liga club's offices, Spanish radio station Cadena Ser reported on Monday.
Today's developments come less than a week before the club will stage presidential elections with club socios called to vote for a successor to Bartomeu. It's highly anticipated the former president Joan Laporta will prevail and this was highlighted by Alfredo Relanos recent editorial piece on Laporta.
According to Anna Punsí (SER Catalunya) , Josep María Bartomeu and the other former detained directors will be held in custody until the early afternoon and will then be released. Their detention is a strategy by the police to ensure that the individuals are not at liberty to interfere with any potential evidence.
This was the scene earlier as two members of the Mossos (local Catalan police) left Camp Nou offices
The police search of the Camp Nou offices are ongoing and in the meantime Bartomeu has informed his lawyers and family of the situation.
Media members begin to gather outside Camp Nou as news of former president Josep Maria Bartomeu's arrest following a morning raid on the club offices by Catalan police filters through.
As yet, the football club have yet to issue a statement on the matter with the social output from Barça focusing on Wednesday's Copa del Rey clash vs Sevilla FC.
Barcelona hired social media 'influencers' to damage players' profiles
This was the original story linked with the I3Ventures deal back in February 2020 when the story originally broke.
Barcelona hired social media 'influencers' to damage players' profiles
Cadena Ser's programme 'Què t'hi jugues' maintain that the company was used to boost the club's image and undermine individuals such as Messi, Piqué, Font, Roures...
Catalan police launch search of Barcelona Camp Nou offices
Catalan police launch search of Barcelona Camp Nou offices
The local police arrived early at Camp Nou to search the club offices looking for documentation as part of the ongoing 'Barçagate' investigation.
Hello and welcome to our updates and breaking news as Catalan police raided the FC Barcelona club offices this morning.