Police detain former Barcelona officials in search operation
MADRID (AP) — Catalan police detained several people after raiding Barcelona’s stadium on Monday in a search and seizure operation, adding to the club's turmoil less than a week before it holds presidential elections.
The operation was related to last year’s “Barçagate,” in which club officials were accused of launching a smear campaign against current and former players who were critical of the club and then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
Police said detentions were made but did not say who or how many people were taken into custody. Authorities spent several hours at the team's headquarters searching documents and talking to employees.
The club, mired in debt of more than 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion), said it offered “full collaboration to the legal and police authorities to help make clear facts which are subject to investigation.” It added the case was related "to the contacting of monitoring services on social networks.”
“The information and documentation requested by the judicial police force relate strictly to the facts relative to this case. FC Barcelona (expresses) 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 did not mention Bartomeu, but Spanish media said he and other former club officials were among those detained.
A text message sent to Bartomeu was not immediately answered.
One of the three presidential candidates, Joan Laporta, told Lleida Radio that what happened on Monday “was a consequence of the bad management by the previous administration.” He said the news of Bartomeu's reported detention was “shocking” and “not good" for the club, but noted that the former president deserved the...