Former Barcelona president Bartomeu arrested after club offices raided

The Spanish police have made several arrests after entering the offices of La Liga side Barcelona and conducting search and seizure operations related to an investigation into club officials.

Spanish radio station Cadena Ser reported that former Barca President Josep Maria Bartomeu was among those arrested as part of an operation into the club contracting a firm to monitor social media activity last year.

The investigation stems from the 'Barcagate' affair which was unearthed last year by Cadena Ser and



revealed the club had contracted marketing consultancy I3 Ventures to monitor social media activity.

Barcelona had denied accusations that it hired — and overpaid — a company to make negative comments about its own players and opponents on social media in order to boost the image of senior club officials.

The revelations led to protests from supporters and to several board members resigning while increasing the pressure on Bartomeu, who eventually stepped down in October after facing a vote of no-confidence.