Barcelona fires heads of professional sports, legal services
Barcelona, Mar 29 (efe-epa).- FC Barcelona on Monday announced that Albert Soler, the club’s director of professional sports, and Roman Gomez Ponti, its head of legal services, have left their positions.
The departures are two of the highest profile changes at the Catalan club since Joan Laporta took over as president this month.
Albert Soler was first hired by Barcelona FC in 2014 as director of institutional relations.
Before joining the club, the former politician was the Sports Director at the Barcelona city council (1999-2005), General Director of Sports (2008-2011), Secretary of State for Sports (2011) and between 2011 and 2014 he represented Barcelona in the Congress of Deputies.
In 2015, he was named manager of professional sports, including soccer, but two years later he became in charge of only basketball, handball, roller hockey and futsal.
Roman Gomez Ponti, meanwhile, was hired in July 2010 with the arrival of president Sandro Rosell and he kept his position under Josep Maria Bartomeu, the disgraced ex-president who left the club last year.
He is a Professor of Administrative Law at the University of Barcelona, a specialist in Commercial and Administrative Law and a counsel for different professionals and professional basketball clubs.
Gómez Ponti was arrested alongside the club’s general director Oscar Grau, Bartomeu and his right hand, Jaume Masferrer, as part of the ‘Barçagate’ corruption investigation.
Bartomeu and Masferrer, were released on charges of business malpractice and corruption during their administration. EFE-EPA
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