The Barça football club pays a company to slander some of its own players, former players, candidates for the club presidency - and to defend current president Josep Maria Bartomeu. According to several reports which Spanish radio network SER has had access to, Futbol Club Barcelona is working with the firm I3 Ventures, a subsidiary of Nicestream created to manage dozens of Twitter and Facebook accounts, aimed at damaging the atmosphere at Barça and strengthening the current board of directors.
One of the main focuses is on criticizing the team, especially stars such as Leo Messi and Gerard Piqué, as well as former players and coaches such as Pep Guardiola, Xavi Hernández and Carles Puyol.
Pep Guardiola 2017 - Sergi Alcàzar
The I3 Ventures accounts have undermined players, hinting at alleged sackings from the squad (one of the reasons for Ernesto Valverde's recent dismissal), calling for the renewal of Leo Messi's contract but then undercutting this with cheap comments about his wife Antonela Roccuzzo, and criticizing Piqué's trips for his business in the management of tennis's Davis Cup.
The company paid by the club has also been dishing out dirt on potential candidates for the Barça presidency in its election - due in 2021, if elections are not brought forward - such as Joan Laporta, Víctor Font and Agustí Benedito.
Joan Laporta - GTRES
The work is done via bots that systematically attack according to the instructions of the company that paid the bill.
EuropaPress
But beyond the sports world, political and political personalities have also been slandered - such as Catalan politicians Quim Torra, Carles Puigdemont, Oriol Junqueras and media company boss Jaume Roures. They also launch criticisms of the Catalan independence movement, targetting accounts of pro-independence groups like the ANC, Òmnium and Tsunami Democràtic.
Tsunami Democràtic Clàssic Camp Nou - EFE
The price that Barça paid to contract these services is allegedly one million euros. The club confirms the payment of this amount, but, according to the reports quoted by SER, the payment does not make the club responsible for the content of the messages.