Former Barcelona vice president says 'someone had their hand in the till' after quitting club amid board chaos
Former Barcelona vice president Emili Rousaud has said he believes somebody was stealing money from within the Catalan club.
Rousaud was one of four board members wanted out by Josep Maria Bartomeu and handed in his resignation in a letter to the president on Thursday, which outlined a number of disagreements in recent weeks.
In an interview with Catalan radio station RAC1, Rousaud was asked whether there had been any foul play in the controversial 'Barçagate' case, which saw the club pay money to a company (I3 Ventures) for social media posts which – it was claimed, though denied – were aimed at protecting Bartomeu and damaging others, including current players Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi.
"I don't know who it could have been, but I have idea there was," he responded. "When you pay a million euros for something which is worth 100,000, it's crystal clear. I don't know who it was, but you can have an idea."
The businessman went on to reveal that Barcelona were continuing to look into the case.
"There's an investigation open which will tell how everything happened," he said. "Bartomeu knows that."
And he added: "The social network issue is an ugly matter. I believe someone had their hand in the till, but I don't know who, although I don't think it's someone from the board."
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