Barçagate
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The I3 Ventures case, also known as Barçagate or Bartogate,[1] was a social media defamation campaign allegedly conducted by the leadership of FC Barcelona against a number of figures associated with the club. The allegations were revealed on 17 February 2020 by journalists Adrià Soldevila and Sergi Escudero on the radio show Què T'hi Jugues on Cadena SER.[2] The alleged defamation campaign involved hiring social media company I3 Ventures SL to manipulate public opinion online, carried out through dozens of unofficial accounts associated with the club, in order to protect the image of Josep Maria Bartomeu – then-president of the club – and to attack other prominent figures both within the club and in Catalan public life more broadly.[3]
Alleged targets of the defamation campaign included then-active players including Lionel Messi and Gerard Piqué, former players such as Xavi, Carles Puyol and Pep Guardiola, and other influential figures in the club's management including Víctor Font (a potential rival for the presidency of the club), Joan Laporta and Jaume Roures. Further alleged targets included political figures and organisations associated with the Catalan independence movement such as Quim Torra, Carles Puigdemont, Òmnium Cultural, the Assemblea Nacional Catalana and the Democratic Tsunami.[4]
Timeline of events
[edit source]Initially, Barcelona FC's board of directors denied hiring I3 Ventures for any social media campaigns aimed at enhancing the image of the board or targeting others.[5] However, on the same day that the case was publicised, club president Bartomeu announced the termination of the club's contract with I3 Ventures. He acknowledged that the company's contract with the club had been in place since 2017, but according to his statements on the matter the purpose of the contract was to monitor information published about the club on social media.[6][7][8]
On 1 March 2021, Catalan police raided the club's offices in a search and seizure operation; in addition, Bartomeu, his adviser Jaume Masferrer, CEO Oscar Grau and Head of Legal Services Roman Gomez Bonti were arrested.[9] Bartomeu admitted that he had hired I3 Ventures to improve Barcelona's image on social media, but denied that he intended to damage the reputation of individuals. The social media company was paid €980,000 for the campaign.[10] On the same day, FC Barcelona released a statement in which they declared that the information and documentation requested by the police force related strictly to the case in question, pertaining to "the cont[r]acting of monitoring services on social networks".[11]
See also
[edit source]References
[edit source]- ↑ "Bartomeu es reuneix amb els capitans per donar explicacions per la polèmica del "Barçagate"". Esport3. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ↑ Escudero, Debbie; Adrià, Sergi (17 January 2020). "El Barça tiene contratada una empresa que llegó a lanzar mensajes en las redes contra algunos de sus jugadores". Cadena SER. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ↑ "La SER ensenya les proves que demostren el vincle entre I3 Ventures i els comptes no oficials". L'Esportiu de Catalunya. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ↑ "Els periodistes que han destapat el cas: "El Barça ens intenta fer pena perquè no publiquem"". EL MÓN A RAC1. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ↑ "La SER aporta nuevas pruebas que vincula a I3 Ventures con las polémicas cuentas del Barça". La Vanguardia. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ↑ "El Barça rescinde el contrato con I3 Ventures al descubrir su vinculación con las cuentas difamatorias". La Vanguardia. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ↑ Rico, Miguel (18 February 2020). "El Barça liquidará el contrato con I3 Ventures". Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ↑ López, Marcos; Domènech, Joan (18 February 2020). "FC Barcelona rescinde contrato I3 Ventures por escándalo redes". El Periódico. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
- ↑ "What we know about police raid at FC Barcelona's stadium in relation to 'Barçagate'". USA Today. 1 March 2021.
- ↑ "Barçagate: How much did Barcelona pay I3 Ventures for their social media campaign?". as.com. 1 March 2021. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
- ↑ "FC Barcelona statement". FC Barcelona. 1 March 2021.
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