On Monday, former Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu was arrested as authorities continue their investigation into the 'Barcagate' scandal from last year. He wasn't the only one; three others were picked up on Sunday, just a week before the club's upcoming presidential vote. Bartomeu had previously resigned from his post in October.
Following a police raid at the club's headquarters, Catalan authorities arrested the current CEO Oscar Grau, advisor Jaume Masferrer, and the head of legal services Roma Gomez Ponti. It is reported that both Bartomeu and Masferrer will remain in jail overnight before being brought before a judge.
FC Barcelona issued a statement confirming that these arrests are tied to the Barcagate controversy. At the heart of the case are allegations that the club masked payments to I3 Ventures, a company hired specifically to polish Bartomeu's image across social media platforms. The club has pledged to work closely with the police to resolve the matter.
According to the Spanish broadcaster Cadena Ser, the club didn't just pay I3 Ventures an inflated price, but deliberately broke the payments into smaller sums to dodge the club's own financial monitoring systems.
Bartomeu defended himself, claiming the company was simply hired to monitor social media activity and was never told to smear any specific players or staff. His downfall began in October when he resigned after more than 20,000 members signed a petition demanding his exit. That same month, the club's financial crisis became clear, reporting a $114 million loss for the season and a debt that had surged to 488 million euros.
Before leaving office, Bartomeu's tenure was marked by political mistakes and a sharp decline in the team's on-field success. This culminated in a public feud with Lionel Messi, who attempted to leave the club on a free transfer last summer. Messi criticized the leadership, claiming that under Bartomeu, the club lacked a clear vision and was merely reacting to crises.
This Sunday, club members will gather to vote for a new president, choosing between the three final candidates: Victor Font, Toni Freixa, and Joan Laporta.
Following the news of the arrests, Laporta stated that he and the club maintain full respect for the legal process and the police. He emphasized the importance of the presumption of innocence and expressed sadness that these scandals are damaging Barcelona's global image.