Former Barcelona board members arrested

The Barcelona offices were raided in connection with “Barçagate.”

Former members of the previous Barcelona board, including Josep Maria Bartomeu, have been arrested in connection with the investigation into “Barçagate.”

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That scandal alleged that the former board hired social media company I3 Ventures, to create bot accounts on social media to target former and current players as well as anyone critical to the then current board.

Those arrested alongside Bartomeu are CEO Oscar Grau, Roman Gomez Ponti, the director of legal services, and Jaume Masferrer.

Masferrer, Bartomeu’s former right-hand man, was the one accused of being directly responsible for the I3 Ventures fiasco when it was first uncovered.

Again, these arrests are part of that investigation and it seems like those responsible are going to have to face the consequences.

The former board was plagued with scandals in their last years as well as sporting failures on the pitch. They resigned back in October as they were facing a vote of no confidence.

The vote of no confidence had enough votes that instead of facing possibly being ousted, they decided to jump ahead of the curve and simply make way for elections to take place at the beginning of this year instead of at the end of the season.

The previous board was heavily unpopular among supporters and players, including Lionel Messi. It is unclear what charges, if any, the four people arrested will be facing until it is made public by the authorities.

The Barcelona elections to see who will replace the previous board are set to take place next week with this backdrop likely to hang on the voters’ minds.