FC Barcelona's reaction was not long in coming. Accused this Monday by the Spanish radio Cadena Ser of having (for 1 million euros) hired the company I3 Ventures, in order to improve the image of its president Josep Maria Bartomeu, by tarnishing the reputation of its own players or d opponents via dozens of fake accounts on social networks, the Catalan club firmly denied by a statement on its website.
"I3 Ventures, the club's supplier, has no connection with these accounts," said FC Barcelona. In the event of any type of relationship, the club would immediately terminate its contractual relationship and take the appropriate legal measures to defend its legitimate interests. "
The full press release from Barça
FC Barcelona press release
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Widely listened to in Spain, Cadena Ser, who has the best sports audiences, especially for football, has released some screenshots of the publications in question. This concerns the loyalty of Lionel Messi and the slowness of the Argentinian to renew his contract, as well as the action of Gerard Piqué as the organizer of the new Davis Cup tennis. Former midfielder Xavi (who left the club in 2015) and Pep Guardiola (current Manchester City coach) are not spared either.
After the difficult integration of Antoine Griezmann, the ouster of coach Ernesto Valverde, and finally "the Abidal affair" at the beginning of the month, this is one more controversy for President Bartomeu, who will not be able to represent himself during elections scheduled for next year. Victor Font, one of the declared presidential candidates, also cited by Cadena Ser (as Joan Laporta), asked for "immediate explanations" about this "extremely serious" information.