Police enter Barcelona's stadium in search operation

Bartomeu and his board of directors resigned last year amid fallout from the controversy surrounding Lionel Messi.

Spanish police entered Barcelona's stadium on Monday in a search and seize operation. The club said authorities were at the team's headquarters but did not provide any more detail.

Soccer Football - La Liga Santander - FC Barcelona v Osasuna - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - July 16, 2020 General view inside the stadium before the match, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) REUTERS/Albert Gea (REUTERS)

Spanish media said the operation was related to last year's “Barçagate,” in which club officials were accused of launching a smear campaign against current and former players who were critical of the club and then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

Bartomeu and his board of directors resigned last year amid fallout from the controversy surrounding Lionel Messi. The club has been mired in political turmoil and debt prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The operation comes less than a week before presidential elections are to be held at the club.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports