MADRID (AP) – Spanish police arrested several people after breaking into Barcelona’s stadium on Monday in a search and seizure operation.
The operation was related to last year’s “Barçagate”, in which club officials were accused of launching a smear campaign against former and current players who criticized the club and then President Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Police said the arrests were made, but did not say who or how many people were taken into custody.
The club said officials were at the team’s headquarters, but gave no further details.
Spanish media said Bartomeu and other former club officers were among those detained.
A text message sent to Bartomeu was not answered immediately.
The arrests take place less than a week before the club’s presidential elections.
One of the three presidential candidates, Joan Laporta, told Radio Lleida that what happened on Monday “was a consequence of the mismanagement of the previous administration”. He said the news of Bartomeu’s arrest was “shocking” and “not good” for the club, but noted that the former president deserved the “presumption of innocence”.
Court officials said a judge ordered the search and seizure operation, but the arrests were made at the discretion of the officers involved. Authorities said the operation was being carried out by the police’s financial crimes department.
Barcelona denied allegations that it hired – and overpaid – a company to make negative comments about its own players and opponents on social media, in order to improve the image of the club’s managers.
The company was accused of using fake social media accounts to discredit opposition figures when they expressed opinions that were against the club. Some of the figures reportedly included players like Lionel Messi and Gerard Piqué, as well as former coach Pep Guardiola.
The club subsequently released an independent audit report showing that there were no irregularities.
Bartomeu and his board of directors resigned last year amid controversy over Messi. The club is mired in political turmoil and debt caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The club has been run by an interim board since Bartomeu left in October, while facing a motion of suspicion supported by thousands of club members furious about the team’s poor performance and the club’s financial situation.
The club’s difficulties began to surface after the team’s embarrassing 8-2 defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals last season, which was the first untitled for the Spanish club since 2007-08 .
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