Barcagate scandal: FC Barcelona issues statement hours after shocking arrests at Camp Nou

FC Barcelona has issued an official statement hours after shocking arrests at their home stadium Camp Nou. It so happened that the Catalan police raided the Camp Nou stadium in a search and seize operation in relation to the Barcagate scandal on Monday morning. The most notable arrest was that of the club's former president Josep Maria Bartomeu. Other arrests included former Barcelona CEO Oscar Grau and legal services head, Roman Gomez Ponti.

What does Barcelona clarify in its official statement?

"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", Barca's official statement read.

Meanwhile, the five-time UEFA Champions League winners also clarified that the information and documentation requested by the judicial police force relate strictly to the facts relative to this case. 

The Spanish club has also expressed 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. 

Read the entire statement here:

READ: Barcagate Scandal: Barcelona Fans React To SHOCKING Arrests At Camp Nou Including Bartomeu

What is the Barcagate social media scandal?

Things seem to have gone from bad to worse for Barcelona as three of their high-profile club management people were arrested in relation to the Barcagate social media scandal that took place in February 2020. The club's former president Joseph Bartomeu was accused of paying money to a third-party company asking them to smear the image of current and former players alongside other presidential candidates on social media. However, about a year ago the club had denied these allegations and had also terminated its contract with I3 Ventures, the firm responsible for operating Barcelona's social media accounts.

An external audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers helped clear the club of any wrongdoing as they found out that the club did not pay an inflated price for any of I3's services. Despite this audit, the local authorities have continued investigating and conducting their own research since the beginning of 2020. Several raids have been conducted on Barcelona's office ever since this story was revealed.

As per the allegations, I3 Ventures along with Bartomeu and others were involved in attacking the social media accounts of various people related to the club. At first, it was believed that only former players such as Xavi Hernandez and Pep Guardiola were attacked. However, it was later revealed that the attacks were also made on current players such as Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi.

READ: Barcagate Scandal: Watch Police RAID Camp Nou Offices As CEO, Bartomeu Arrested

Camp Nou raid takes place week ahead of Barcelona elections

The Camp Nou raid takes place just a week prior to the crucial Barcelona presidential elections. The elections are scheduled to take place on March 7 and more than 20,000 Barcelona members are believed to have already cast their votes. Three candidates are in the running for this election: Victor Font, Joan Laporta, and Toni Freixa.

READ: What Is Barcagate Social Media Scandal? Why Was Bartomeu Arrested?