Lionel Messi, others meet Barcelona president Bartomeu over derogatory social media posts
- Lionel Messi and three other teammates held a crunch meeting with Barcelona chief Josep Bartomeu
- The club president tried to dissociate himself from the derogatory social media posts aimed at tarnishing the images of some of the players
- Barca chief will terminate his contract with the social media company if found guilty of perpetrating such evil
Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has reportedly held a crunch talks with Lionel Messi and other deputy captains over the alleged campaign some of the top players.
The 57-year-old administrator was accused of hiring a Data Analytics Consultant (I3Ventures) to plant news on social media that smeared the reputation some current and former players have built.
Reports claim the move was to further build his image at the expense of the stars who have toiled night and day to put the club among the very best outfits in the world.
Daily Star quoting Diario Sport claims the club chief met with the Argentine star alongside Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto to clear the air over his relationship with I3Ventures.
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The Catalan club was said to have reacted to the allegation earlier in the week - explaining partnership with the Data company, I3Ventures.
They also debunked any link to the accounts responsible for spreading the unpleasant stories about their captain Messi, Pique and ex-manager Pep Guardiola among others.
In view of the development, Barca have confirmed that they are severing all ties with I3Ventures if any links are proved.
According to the publication, the Data company opened social media accounts to publish stories that create a negative image of their subject.
One of the accounts on Twitter suspected to have posted derogatory tweets about involvement in the Davis Cup is titled Justicia y dialogo en el deporte.
While the other named Alter Sports produced messages about Manchester City boss Guardiola crashing four cars.
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Bartomeu now risks alienating some of his star names if a link between the company and the social media accounts in question prove true.
Earlier this month, Messi had a bust-up with Barcelona's sporting director Eric Abidal after accusing the players of failing to support sacked boss Ernesto Valverde.
Legit.ng earlier reported that Brazilian professional footballer Malcom has taken a swipe against his former club Barcelona on their over-dependence on Argentina international Lionel Messi.
The Argentine has been superb for years at Barcelona since he got into the first team and has won many titles with the Catalan giants.
He started his playing career at Barcelona's famous academy La Masia before he was promoted to the main team based on his superb performances.
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Source: Legit.ng
