Barça hired a company to discredit players and rivals

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The Board of Directors of Barcelona would have hired a company, in an agreement worth close to one million euros, to improve the image of the club and its president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, on social networks and, on the other hand, discredit rivals

As reported on Monday the program 'What do you play!' of the Ser Chain, the club would have hired the company I3 Ventures to create favorable states of opinion for the club and the current Board of Directors in social networks and discredit their opponents.

On the one hand, the company creates “unofficial” profiles on the networks to protect the reputation and decisions of President Blaugrana and, on the other hand, erode the image of current players, former players or presidential candidates.

According to the information, the company manages dozens of accounts on Facebook or Twitter that would have attacked, among others, current players of the first football team such as Gerard Piqué, in its entrepreneurial aspect, or the captain and reference Leo Messi for its renewal.

Pep Guardiola, Carles Puyol or Xavi Hernández have also been some of the targets of these accounts created by the company that would have hired FC Barcelona, ​​worth less than one million euros.

According to the program, the club admits such hiring but without taking responsibility for the contents of the publications, and they defend that the premise was to publish “positive messages”, although entities and former presidents, such as Joan Laporta, have been attacked from those profiles.

Font and Benedito, also attacked, have already criticized the decision of the current directive

Following this information, two of the presidential candidates of the club who have also been subject to this smear campaign, such as Agustí Benedito and Víctor Font, have already reacted. Benedito, who attended the presidency in past elections, ventured that the club “will respond in court.”

For his part, the candidate Víctor Font, who will stand for the elections for the first time, said in a statement that Bartomeu and his Board should “leave immediately” to give explanations and, in case the facts are confirmed, he believes that will have spent money from the club to attack its members and players, which damages the image of the entity and “shames” its members.

Barça confirms the relationship with the company but denies that it is dedicated to defamation in networks

For its part, Barça on Monday denied having any relationship with the hiring of services aimed at discrediting rivals, players or entities on social networks, although it recognizes that it has an agreement with a company to “protect the reputation” Of the entity.

“The club strongly denies any relationship and, even more, the contracting of services linked to social media accounts that have spread negative or disparaging messages in relation to any person, entity or organization that has or has had a relationship with the club,” The club said in a statement.

Yes, he confirms that the company I3 Ventures is a club supplier, but ensures that it has no “link” with the accounts that curse players, former players, rivals, entities or candidates for the club presidency.

“If some kind of relationship were demonstrated, the club would immediately terminate their contractual relationship and take appropriate legal action in defense of their legitimate interests,” he said.

The club confirms that it has services to “protect and preserve its reputation, as well as that of those linked to the entity”

In addition, the Blaugrana entity confirms that it has contracted social network monitoring services in order to be aware of both positive and negative messages, of which the Entity is the object.

“With the hiring of these services, the club takes care to protect and preserve its reputation, as well as that of those linked to the club (sponsors, players, managers, partners, rockers …), to the extent that the protection of this reputation is an essential element and an indispensable duty for those who work for the entity “, they argue.