Barcelona’s headquarters at Nou Camp was raided on Monday (March 1, 2021) by the Catalan police under the orders of the Instructing Court number 13, which is in charge of the case relating to the contacting of monitoring services on social networks by the club. Spanish media said the operation was related to last year’s ‘Barça-gate,’ in which club officials were accused of launching a smear campaign against current and former players. What is Barcagate Scandal? Know About the Controversy Which Resulted in Arrest of Former Barcelona President Among Others.

‘Regarding the entry and search by the Catalan Police force this morning at the Camp Nou offices by order of the Instructing Court number 13 in Barcelona, which is in charge of the case relating to the contacting of monitoring services on social networks, FC Barcelona have offered up their full collaboration to the legal and police authorities to help make clear facts which are subject to investigation,’ said Barcelona in an official statement.

See Statement

‘The information and documentation requested by the judicial police force relate strictly to the facts relative to this case. 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 added.

According to reports, former Barcelona president Josep Marias Bartomeu, who was the chief of the club during the ‘Barca-gate’ incident has been arrested by the police. Bartomeu was accused of hiring a third-party social media company to tarnish the reputation of some of the current and former icons of the club.

Josep Bartomeu, current chief executive Oscar Grau, and Barcelona’s head of legal services, Roman Gomez Ponti were arrested on suspicion of ‘unfair administration, corruption between individuals and money laundering,’ according to reports from Spain. Catalan police later confirmed they had made several arrests, but haven’t confirmed the names of those detained.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 01, 2021 10:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).