Spanish police accuse Barcelona president of corruption ... and support Messi's position
Spanish newspaper "El Mundo" revealed today that a corruption investigation was opened by the Spanish police in Catalonia, against Barcelona club president Joseph Bartomeu.
The newspaper said that the incident related to financial payments made by the club's management earlier to a public relations company, "any 3 Ventures", in order to control the club's social media.
The police in Catalonia confirm that they have detected suspicious financial movements, and believe that Bartomeu is involved in the case, as it has been proven to them that the contract obtained by the company, amounting to "one million euros", is six times more than the financial value recognized in the market for such contracts with public relations companies.
The newspaper confirmed that the case will be transferred to the court, provided that the judge will consider the possibility of starting a new case against Bartomeu and some of his aides.
It is noteworthy that, last July, a number of Catalan police officers stormed the Barcelona club headquarters, and seized many documents related to the "E3 Ventures" file, and through it, suspicious financial payments were found, through which Bartomeu is believed to profit at the expense of the club's administration.
This incident increases the pressure on Bartomeu after the crisis of the captain of the team, Lionel Messi, who is demanding to leave, and his case remains unresolved so far.
This investigation confirms what Spanish media went to earlier that the club's management, headed by Bartomeu, was linked to the previous incident of the company defaming the club's stars, including Messi and Gerrard, through negative propaganda against them on social media.
This was something that Messi had previously criticized, and sparked a crisis between him and the management, which is one of the reasons that made Messi think about leaving the club.
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