Barcelona respond to Mediapro allegations

Barcelona say they will consider “all legal actions” to defend themselves after multimedia communications organisation Mediapro alleged the club and former president Sandro Rosell were involved in disclosing their business secrets.

Mediapro said on Thursday it had filed a criminal complaint against Rosell and Barca, along with other individuals and entities, in relation to disclosing business secrets, crimes against the privacy of Jaume Roures – founding partner of Mediapro – and aggravated theft.

Mediapro alleges the criminal activity took place between 2009 and 2011 and saw e-mails sent and received by Roures accessed and passed on to Rosell and Joan Carles Raventos, the former director for Barca’s basketball section.

Among the e-mails said to have been accessed and sent on by former Mediapro IT director Robert Cama are exchanges between Roures and former Barca coach Pep Guardiola, ex-president Joan Laporta and representatives of the club’s first-team players.

However, the Spanish champions responded on Friday, saying in a statement: “FC Barcelona is oblivious to the events that have led to this lawsuit, which rose between 2009 and 2011, so will immediately begin the procedure for requesting the case file and all the aspects that refer to the institution.

“The club demands respect for former presidents and the presumption of innocence of two workers from the institution that have been impugned.

“FC Barcelona makes itself available to the judiciary to help clarify the facts that have led to the complaint. In addition, the board has commissioned a report on this case from the Directorate General of the Club to find out the real facts.

“The club reserves the use of all legal actions that serve to preserve the prestige and good image of FC Barcelona.”