Barcelona has always been a host of controversy in the world of football, but in breaking and shattering news, former president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been arrested owing to his involvement in the BarçaGate scandal. Additionally, the Chief Executive Officer of the club, Oscar Grau, former adviser to the presidency Jaume Masferrer, and head legal counsel Roman Gomez Ponti have also been arrested by the Catalan police.

The BarçaGate scandal occurred during Bartomeu’s time at the club where the administration was suspected of paying PR company I3 ventures to clean up the image of Bartomeu online while disparaging the image of current and former players that played under the infamous president.

Initially, both Barça and I3 had denied the allegations and a report following an audit conducted by PrincewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) found that the club did not take part in any defamatory campaigns against any individual. The company also found no evidence of financial corruption or money laundering done by the president and his board.

However, it seems the tables have been turned on their head today. The Catalan police arrived at the Camp Nou offices this morning to search for documentation in connection with the BarçaGate investigation. They left the offices half an hour ago and arrived at the house of Josep Bartomeu and arrested him from there.

Source: RAC1