This year is far from being a calm river for FC Barcelona. Between the departure of Ernesto Valverde, the numerous injuries and the difficult acclimatization of Antoine Griezmann, the Catalan club is also facing a deleterious climate. Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu is currently in the eye of the storm and the latest revelations from Sport shouldn’t go its way. Last February, the Cadena Ser had revealed that the leaders of FC Barcelona had called on a Uruguayan communication box, I3 Ventures. The goal was to protect the reputation of the club president and the Catalan management through fake social media accounts.
The scandal however came from the fact that this company would also have been contacted to criticize personalities of the club on networks such as Lionel Messi and Gerard Piqué or alumni like Xavi or Pep Guardiola. The club then defended itself by confirming the collaboration with I3 Ventures, but by affirming that it was with the aim of defending the values of the institution FC Barcelona. Currently the situation is rather vague and Emili Rousaud, the former Institutional Vice-President of the Club, raised the possibility of corruption, forcing the club to defend himself in a press release. Having mandated Price Waterhouse Coopers to audit this matter, he is now awaiting further clarification in this matter. These have just been revealed by Sport.
The Catalan media puts forward four important points in particular. First, Price Waterhouse Coopers recognizes that the cost of the service offered by I3 Ventures is much higher than market rates. 980,000 euros would have been paid instead of a sum between 120,000 and 150,000 euros. Then the choice of a Uruguayan company questions. Bank anonymity is already prevalent in the South American nation, and then there were Spanish companies capable of offering better service for less. Third, the bill was divided into five sums of 198,000 euros. Just a little less than 200,000 euros, the sum which avoids going through the control commission. These five contracts were also offered to five different companies, but linked to I3 Ventures. Overwhelming revelations for the Bartomeu clan who see the situation getting worse day by day.
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