Barcelona President Joan Laporta releases statement against documentary ‘full of falsehoods’ | OneFootball

Barcelona President Joan Laporta has taken a dim view of the recent documentary released regarding his involvement in the winding up of Catalan club Reus. Laporta is currently in an ongoing court case where he and his business partners, all current or former members of the Barcleona board are accused of fraud.

‘Laportagate’, which was released this week, details how Reus ended up in administration, and Laporta’s role in it. During the documentary, some of the investors in Laporta’s company, who did not receive their money back accuse him of offering jobs at Barcelona in compensation for their failed investment. However Laporta has responded with a strongly worded statement.

“The documentary is full of falsehoods, half-truths, insults and biased information that do not correspond to reality and attack my honour and that of the club I preside, FC Barcelona,” he explained the statement, as quoted by Relevo.

He says the reality of the situation is deliberately warped in the documentary.

“This documentary aims to address an issue that has already been discussed in court, where I gave a statement exposing the reality of the facts. An aspect that has been deliberately hidden in this production, in yet another example of the attempt to influence judicial proceedings through the media and to create a state of opinion that attacks my person and my honor, as well as the good name of my family and the institution that the club’s members granted me the honour of presiding over.”

“Given this situation, I reserve the right to take appropriate legal action against the authors, collaborators, and instigators of this documentary, as well as against those who disseminate the facts in a slanderous and biased manner.”

Photo by FC Barcelona

With the court case ongoing, both sides have commented on the matter publicly, but it is not clear when a verdict will be reached. At any rate, both in and out of court, the Barcelona president has defended his innocence. Laporta has come under pressure for a number of his dealings while at Barcelona too, most prominently the recent sale of VIP seats at the renovated Camp Nou to the tune of more than €100m.