FC Barcelona responded strongly after reports linked a complaint filed with Spain’s National Court against Joan Laporta and several current leadership figures.
Previously, a club member had taken legal action, accusing Laporta and other executives of alleged financial crimes, including money laundering and receiving undue commissions.
Within the club, the reaction was immediate and forceful. With Rafael Yuste acting as president during the election period, Barcelona released a detailed statement rejecting the credibility of the materials underlying the complaint.
According to the club, the allegations are not new. They claim the same documentation had already circulated weeks earlier and had been examined internally.
The statement explains that in mid-January, journalists and the Organized Crime & Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) approached Barcelona to validate documents supposedly supporting these claims.
Rather than dismissing them outright, the club triggered both internal and external review mechanisms to evaluate their authenticity.
The conclusion, as described by Barcelona, was definitive. The documents were labeled "implausible and unrelated to reality," with the club stating they appeared "false or seriously manipulated."
Crucially, the club also revealed that other national media outlets were presented with the same material but refrained from publishing after identifying inconsistencies and possible signs of falsification.
The club is unaware of the full details of the claim presented but notes that the published details coincide with information the club expressly refused on January 19, 2026.
Barcelona warned that if a connection to prior dismissed claims is confirmed, they will escalate the matter legally.
"The Club will make available to the Electoral Committee all information in its possession on this matter for them to verify the situation and warn the precandidate of the consequences of using false information and news stories during the electoral process."
The club is also prepared to involve its Disciplinary Committee to investigate the responsible member and is evaluating whether to take steps against the media outlets that published the claims despite knowing the club’s position.
Beyond the legal dimension, Barcelona forwarded the case to the Electoral Board, suggesting the timing of the publication raises questions and subtly hinting at the possibility of "an illegitimate attempt to disrupt the normal democratic process" during a sensitive campaign period.
